France’s President Emmanuel Macron stated in an interview with The Economist on April 2 that he would have to take this option into consideration if Moscow broke through “the front lines” and Ukraine requested it.
“If Moscow “were to break through the front lines” and Kyiv requested it”
Emmanuel Macron has once again assumed the possibility of sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine, saying that it would be necessary to “ask ourselves the question” if Moscow “were to break through the front lines” and Kyiv requested it.
“If the Russians were to go and pierce the front lines, and if there was a Ukrainian request—which is not the case today—we should legitimately ask ourselves the question,” the French president told the British weekly.
“To rule it out a priori is not to learn the lessons of the last two years, when NATO countries initially ruled out sending tanks and aircraft to Ukraine before finally changing their minds.”
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
At the end of February, the French head of state stirred controversy by asserting that the future should not “exclude” sending Western troops to Ukraine. He explained that his intention was to restore “strategic ambiguity” to Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the name of the “surge” he was calling for. However, most European countries, as well as the United States, had clearly distanced themselves from his remarks, even if some have since taken a step in his direction.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” – Macron
“I don’t rule anything out, because we’re facing someone who doesn’t rule anything out,” he reiterated in The Economist, referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin. “We have probably been too hesitant in formulating the limits of our action for someone who no longer has any and who is the aggressor,” the French leader said.
Emmanuel Macron noted that France has had experience in recent history with military interventions, particularly in Africa, to counter terrorism at the request of the relevant sovereign states.
The French leader added that the aggressive reaction from Moscow to his first statements proved that they had the desired effect and conveyed the message, “Don’t think we will stop here if you don’t stop.”
“I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine. If Russia wins in Ukraine, we will no longer have security in Europe. Who can pretend to believe that Russia will stop there? What security will there be for the other neighboring countries—Moldavia, Romania, Poland, Lithuania, and so many others? And behind that, what credibility do we have as Europeans? Who would have spent billions? Who would have said that the continent’s survival was at stake here, and who would not have given themselves the means to stop Russia? So yes, we mustn’t rule anything out.”.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
And besides, what kind of trust will we have in Europeans who spent billions, said that the continent’s survival was at stake, and then did not find ways to stop Russia? So yes, we should not rule anything out. After all, our goal is to ensure that Russia can never win in Ukraine,” Macron summarized.
Macron explains his words “our Europe is mortal, it can die”
French President Emmanuel Macron explained what he meant when he said in his keynote speech that “out Europe is mortal and it can die,” noting that he was talking about a number of threats, starting with direct military ones.
Macron noted that in his speech he used a parallel with the words of the poet and philosopher Paul Valéry after the First World War about the discovery that “civilization can die.”
“First, there are risks related to military, geopolitical affairs, and security.” Europe is not the safest region in the world. If we look at Europe as a whole, we see that it has invested much less in its security and defense than the United States or China,” Macron said.
The French president went on to say that the world is now witnessing a build-up of power by players such as Russia, Iran, and others.
Emmanuel Macron also said that he was ready to discuss the use of French nuclear weapons as part of a “robust European defense” against threats from Russia.
