The President of the Republic spoke at the end of an international conference in support of Ukraine, two years after the start of the war against Russia.
“We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia does not win this war.” President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron estimated that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future “cannot be ruled out”.
“There is no consensus today to send ground troops officially, presumptively and in support. But dynamically, nothing should be excluded,” the head of state declared.
The president did not want to say more about France’s position on the issue, citing “strategic ambiguity that I accept.”
But “I did not say at all that France is not in favor of it”, he warned. “I will not remove the ambiguity of this evening’s debates by naming names. I am saying that these were mentioned in the options”, he © added.
This option had never been mentioned by France before. Asked the question at the end of the meeting at the Elysée, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte assured them that the question of sending ground troops was not on the agenda.
“A lot of people who say ‘never, never’ today were the same people two years ago who said ‘never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles,'” he continued. Emmanuel Macron. “Let us have the humility to note that we are often six to twelve months late. That was the point of this evening’s discussion: anything is possible if it serves our purpose.”
“We are ready to do whatever it takes”
The French president nevertheless recalled that Ukraine’s allies “are not at war with the Russian people”, but he “simply did not want to let them win in Ukraine”.
Emmanuel Macron also announced the creation of a new coalition dedicated to the delivery of medium- and long-range missiles, against a backdrop of Ukrainian concerns over volume and delivery schedule. Ammunition is already planned.
Asked about the possible question of a European country sending troops without the agreement of other states, the head of state indicated that “every country is sovereign, its armed forces are sovereign (…) no one can force another country. What to do because of it.
“We are ready to do as long as necessary, and whatever is necessary, so that Russia does not win this war,” concluded the President of the Republic.
