Press
French President Emmanuel Macron is considering deploying NATO troops in Ukraine to prevent Vladimir Putin from taking over, according to a report.
PARIS – The imperialist in the Kremlin, what is he doing? A brutal ruler from Moscow with hundreds of thousands of soldiers who started the war in Ukraine has attacked a neighboring Western country that has returned to the European Union (EU).
Ukraine war: Paris fears major Russian attack on Odessa
In other words: What is the next attack planned by the warmonger from Russia? That's the question politicians are asking themselves between Ukraine, Paris and Washington, while in Berlin Chancellor Olaf Schaalz (SPD) continues his cautious approach to the bloody conflict. The French president has positioned himself more aggressively and loudly in recent weeks.
Why? Like ever well-known Italian daily newspaper Republic Paris is now reportedly fearing a major Russian attack from Crimea on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. To enable the Putin regime to use the city of over a million people as a bargaining chip to force a unilateral and hypocritical ceasefire with Kiev.
Is Odessa a target for Vladimir Putin? Ukrainians attack Crimea from here
According to the report, Macron links his fears to a new wave of mobilization in the Russian Federation, through which Putin wants to conscript (or force to do so) 150,000 more soldiers. The mentioned number can be interpreted as a sign of the next Russian attack in the summer of 2024, analyzed RepublicIt is located in and around Rome Corriere della Sera Considered one of the two leading media outlets in Italy.
Macron has singled out the city of Odessa as a target for a major offensive by Putin, as the Kremlin reportedly wants to build a corridor across the Black Sea to Moscow-friendly Transnistria in Moldova, denying Kiev access to the sea. For example, it would severely restrict the most important sector of agricultural exports. And that's not all: the Ukrainian Armed Forces have deployed their coastal batteries in the Odesa region with “Neptune” anti-ship missiles, which are inflicting heavy losses on Russia's Crimean troops.
| Odessa | |
| Lage: | In the south of Ukraine on the Black Sea not far from the border with Moldova |
| Resident: | 1.01 million |
| Features: | The most important port city and the third largest city in Ukraine by population |
| Military Significance of the Region: | a base for coastal batteries with Neptune anti-ship missiles; Magura is the platform for surface drones |
EU sources fear: Vladimir Putin wants to divide Europeans over Ukraine policy
“Magura” surface drones, feared by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, are also launched from the coast of Odessa Oblast. Republic Quoting an unnamed EU source from Brussels on the Odessa situation: “At this stage, the discussion about sending troops to support Ukraine will not be theoretical, but very concrete. And we as Europeans will face the risk of division.”
Depending on the outcome of an offensive in the south, the Russian autocracy could play the unilateral ceasefire card, the Italian daily's analysis continues. “If we are faced with a technical ceasefire, we have to be careful not to be naive and think that it will only be Moscow's fault,” another unnamed EU source was quoted as saying. One reason for concern: political forces in the EU who want to stop arms supplies to Ukrainians have one more argument to use with the “illusion of a ceasefire”.
Moscow and Paris: Dispute over telephone conversation between Russia and France
In early April, it became public that Macron wanted to push German Chancellor Schalz to take a tougher line on Ukraine. Like that Wall Street Journal On Wednesday (April 3), French President Putin said he wanted to keep Putin's Kremlin regime in the dark about the West's “red lines” in the future, and therefore suggested a corresponding change in strategy to US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Scholz. The US magazine wrote that the purpose was an ambiguous stance towards Russia.
Macron caused an international stir in late February by refusing to rule out the possibility of NATO ground forces being stationed in Ukraine in the future. After the first telephone conversation between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu since October 2022, France on Thursday (April 4) clearly rejected Russia's communication regarding the alleged content. According to the Kremlin version, France has expressed its readiness for possible peace talks. Said from Paris: “That's not true. At no time have we been willing to engage in dialogue about Ukraine or negotiations or anything like that. (evening)
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