Macron has not ruled out using ground troops in Ukraine

As of: 9:09 am | Reading Time: 3 minutes

FFrench President Emmanuel Macron has not ruled out his country's use of ground forces in Ukraine. Nothing can be ruled out to prevent Russian success in Ukraine, Macron said Monday evening in Paris after concluding a Ukraine aid conference with more than 20 heads of state and government, including President Olaf Scholz (SPD).

“There is no consensus today on officially sending ground troops,” Macron said. “But nothing dynamic can be ruled out. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.” Many people who said “never, never” two years ago today, “never, never, never, never, airplanes, never, always long-range missiles.” Today the debate is about becoming faster and stronger in delivering tanks and missiles. “Anything is possible if it helps me achieve my goal,” the French president said.

“Today's general conclusion is that the security of all of us is at risk,” Macron said at the start of the conference, which was organized at short notice. Russia's position is hardening at the political level and on the front with the threat of new Russian attacks in Ukraine. Russian defeat is essential to stability and security in Europe. That's why Ukraine's supporters need to step up. “We are in the process of ensuring our security today and tomorrow,” Macron said. “We don't want to go to war with the Russian people,” the president added.

Populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has previously said that individual Western countries would consider sending their troops to Ukraine. “I'm not saying that France is not open to it,” Macron said. Instead, he commits to “strategic ambiguity.”

The French president said the meeting decided to create an alliance that would provide Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles and bombs for attacks behind Russian borders. In the short term, additional ammunition for Ukraine must be mobilized from our own stocks and from third countries. There is currently no decision on the supply of French Mirage fighter jets.

However, he did not specify which countries would participate in which format. Before the conference began, Chancellor Scholz reiterated his negative stance on the deployment of long-range Taurus cruise missiles.

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Defense against Russia

Macron said the conference also decided to speed up more aid to Ukraine. France also supports considerations of using common debt to finance European defense spending given the war in Ukraine. As with the Corona crisis, all European countries have suffered from Russia's aggression, which justifies a special way of shared debt. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined the conference at short notice with a video message, called for more help to prevent Russia from expanding its aggression into other countries.

Nuripur: The deployment of Western ground forces in Ukraine is not an issue

After French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Gabriel Atal has also not ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine. “You cannot rule out anything in a war again in the heart of Europe and at the gates of the European Union,” Macron reminded.

However, Green Party leader Omit Nuripour said on Tuesday that the deployment of Western ground forces in Ukraine was not up for discussion. “It's not a problem. This is not an issue in Germany or in the alliance,” Nuripour said on NTV. He said of the French president's statements: “I experienced a humorous Macron, who simply wanted to say: I don't want to rule anything out.”