Send European troops to Ukraine? The French president Emmanuel Macron On Monday evening he expressed this determination, if necessary, to help Ukraine, which feels abandoned by Western countries and risks losing the war against Russia.
But the proposal, launched for the first time, sparked controversy: several countries rejected the idea, including Germany, Italy and Spain. And the Russian government responded immediately.
“It is not at all in the interests of these countries, and they must be aware of this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the proposal presented by the French president and considering that the mere fact of raising it represents this possibility. a very important new element” in the conflict.
The spokesperson answered whether the presence of troops of NATO member countries in Ukraine will lead to a direct clash between the Atlantic Alliance and Russia. “In that case we should not be talking about the possibility, but the inevitability” of this confrontation, he said.
“And these countries must ask themselves whether (confrontation with Russia) is good for them and, above all, whether it is good for their citizens,” Peskov warned.
After the international conference in support of Ukraine, which brought together 21 heads of state at the Elysée in Paris on Monday, Macron reaffirmed Paris’ commitment to Ukraine.
“Russia’s defeat is essential for security and stability in Europe,” he said at a news conference.
Indeed, sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine should not be “ruled out” in the future, Macron said, considering however that “there is no consensus” at this stage on this hypothesis.
“Today there is no consensus on sending ground troops in an official, presumed and supported way. But in this dynamic nothing can be excluded. We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war,” explained the French head of state.
The president declined to say anything else about France’s position on this issue, citing a “strategic ambiguity that I accept.” But he clarified: “I didn’t say at all that France was not in favor. I won’t remove the ambiguity of this afternoon’s debates by naming names. I say that it was mentioned among the options.”
Emmanuel Macron received Western leaders on Monday to talk about aid to Ukraine. Photo: AFPDispute
France I’ve never mentioned this option before.. Questioned at the end of the meeting at the Elysée, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte assured that the issue of sending ground troops is not on the agenda. He is the preferred candidate to lead NATO soon.
“Many people who say never, never today are the same people who two years ago said ‘never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles,’” Macron continued. «We have the humility to note that many times we arrived late, from six to twelve months. This was the goal of this afternoon’s debate: anything is possible if it helps us achieve our goal,” he said.
The French president, however, recalled that Kiev’s allies “are not at war with the Russian people”, but “they simply don’t want to let them win in Ukraine”.
Sending Western troops to Ukraine “not at all relevant at the moment”, insisted Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the day after Emmanuel Macron’s statement. “There is no request” from the Ukrainian side for ground troops, he said. So “the issue is not current”, he insisted, without excluding this possibility in the future.
The French head of state also announced that Ukraine’s allies will create a coalition to provide medium- and long-range missiles to Ukraine. It was decided to “create a coalition for deep attacks and, therefore, medium and long range missiles and bombs”, he said.
Hours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj regretted having “unfortunately” received only 30% of the “millions of bullets that the European Union” had “promised” to Ukraine.
“Together we must ensure that Putin cannot destroy what we have achieved and cannot extend his aggression to other countries,” also declared the Ukrainian president, who has been asking the West for more weapons and ammunition for months.
The guards at the Elysée Palace, in Paris, this Monday, during the meeting of European leaders. Photo: BLOOMBERGMacron listed five “action categories” with consensus: cyberdefensive; co-production of weapons, military capabilities and ammunition in Ukraine; the defense of countries directly threatened by the offensive in Ukraine, such as Moldova; the “ability to support Ukraine on the border with Belarus with non-military forces” and mine clearance operations.
Purchase of ammunition
Several European countries support the Czech initiative for the EU to purchase munitions outside Europe to further support Ukraine’s war effort, participants of the aid meeting in Kiev said in Paris on Monday .
“The Czech initiative enjoys great support from numerous countries”, declared the Czech Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, at the end of the meeting which brought together more than 25 countries allied with Kiev at the Elysée.
“This is a very strong message sent to Russia,” the leader said, assuring that fifteen countries are willing to join this initiative which aims to respond to the shortage of ammunition, especially artillery shells, for Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country would contribute “more than 100 million euros” to the Czech plan and that “other countries will follow” this path. “As for ammunition, there is a very good Czech initiative which consists in purchasing ammunition and shells for Ukraine all over the world,” he explained.
Criticism of Macron
Numerous deputies of France Insoumise and the head of the Socialist Party have harshly criticized the President of the Republic, who does not rule out sending Western military troops to Ukraine against Russia.
Several left-wing political leaders, notably the rebel Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the socialist Olivier Faure, rejected Macron’s statements on the war in Ukraine on Monday evening.
“War against Russia would be madness,” the leader of rebel France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, responded on social media, calling Macron’s comments “irresponsible.”
“Sending troops to Ukraine would make us belligerents. This belligerent verbal escalation of one nuclear power against another major nuclear power is already an irresponsible act,” the former presidential candidate protested.
“It’s time to negotiate peace in Ukraine with mutual security clauses!”, he added.
The socialists opposed it. “Supporting the Ukrainian resistance, yes. Going to war with Russia and dragging the continent. Crazy”, writes the first secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure, who considers the “presidential levity” on the subject to be “worrying”.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.