Macron says France is "not fighting against the Russian people" in debate on sending troops to Ukraine
Corrected on 5 March. The quotes in this news report have been changed in the source and have been duly amended here. We apologise to our readers for this error.
French President Emmanuel Macron has once again commented on his controversial statement about deploying Western troops in Ukraine, emphasising that French forces will not be deployed there for the time being.
Source: Macron in an interview with Czech portals Novinky and Pravo.cz, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Macron recalled that he had mentioned sending troops in response to a question he had been asked at a meeting in Paris with representatives from over 20 states, and had said only that "nothing can be ruled out".
"Now is the time for Europeans to ask themselves whether their stated objectives are in line with their current strategy. In my view, we need a wake-up call, a strategic awakening of our democracies, because Russia's impunity threatens the security of the European continent and its values," he added.
The French president said the meeting’s participants had agreed on five areas where they are willing to do more: cyber defence; joint production of military equipment in Ukraine; the security of countries directly threatened by Russia's offensive in Ukraine, particularly Moldova; support for Ukraine on its border with Belarus; and demining.
"Furthermore, I have always clearly defined our framework: we are not fighting against the Russian people and refuse to engage in the logic of escalation," Macron emphasised.
Background:
- President Emmanuel Macron said last week that he had not ruled out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future. He later added that these remarks, which caused uproar, had been carefully thought through.
- The French president's remarks provoked a negative response from allied governments, whose leaders were quick to assure people that no troops would be sent to Ukraine.
- While most NATO countries, including major players such as Germany, the UK and the US, have ruled out sending troops to Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Wednesday that he was grateful to Macron for starting the debate.
- Moscow reacted angrily to Macron's remarks, warning that the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine would inevitably lead to a conflict between Russia and NATO.
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