Macron has not ruled out sending troops to Ukraine, although “there is still no consensus”.

French President Emmanuel Macron took advantage of the second anniversary of the start of the invasion this Monday to send a message to allies against Russia in the war in Ukraine. moscow Europe will continue to support Kyiv And to explore how this assistance can be leveraged, especially now that Russia is “hardening its position.” In view of this, he has launched two messages. Firstly, there is a fear that Moscow may attack other countries in the future. Second, that the coalition does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, “although there is still no consensus on this,” he said at a news conference around midnight after the summit.

The French President warned at the beginning of the conference “The hardening of Russia’s position”Both at the military and political level: “We have faced cyber attacks and in parallel, the collective consensus of the countries present at this conference is that, in a few years, You have to prepare if Russia attacks For these countries”.

Macron did not want to miss the second anniversary and organized a last-minute summit in support of Ukraine last week, which was attended by heads of state and government of about twenty countries, most of them European, including President were also included. Spanish, Pedro Sanchez; the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz; or Polish President, andrzej duda, except for the Baltic countries. The head of British diplomacy also participated David Cameronand representatives from the US and Canada.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who had been in Paris just a week and a half earlier, did not attend and sent a message in which he thanked France and the rest of its allies for their support in this “terrible war”. “Thanks to Europe’s support we have saved millions of lives, we knew that Putin could expand his aggression to other countries,” he said. ZelenskyWho warned this weekend that Ukraine’s victory or defeat “depends on you.”

Emmanuel Macron also plans to visit Kiev in mid-March, “What we are putting at stake today is the security not only of Ukraine, but of Europe.”he said in his inaugural address at the conference.

Paris believes that Moscow has crossed a new red line in the war: not only at the military level, but its aggression has also increased. An example of this is the death of Russian rival Alexei Navalny. “The situation on the Ukrainian front is becoming increasingly difficult and Russia is preparing attacks and hardening its position,” Macron warned, adding that “a push” from allies is necessary and that Means “strong decision” in support of Kiev.

In this context of escalation, Paris wants to send a message to Moscow that the European alliance is strengthening, “not faltering”: “We are not tired and we are determined to stop Russia’s aggression; “Putin will not win in Ukraine.” He points from the Elysee.

“In these two years of war, Ukraine has already won thanks to the resistance of the troops, our help and the decisions we have taken from day one,” Macron said at the opening of the conference. “Unity remains our best weapon to stop Putin,” he said on X (formerly Twitter). pedro sanchez,

One of the aims of this conference is to find out how Ukraine can be helped more, but above all “more effectively”. “Not all millions are weapons and not all weapons are victories,” he tells the Elysee. Kiev, which is short on ammunition, has expressed regret over delays in arms shipments promised by allies.

Therefore, what Paris wants at the conference is to be able to explore ways in which aid can be delivered more effectively, so that it is “coherent.” That means weapons can reach the ground and be used. “It is not just a question of money, but also of efficiency,” he insists. Several countries, including France, Germany and Italy, have signed bilateral agreements with Kiev in recent weeks.

The EU has provided 28 billion euros in aid since its inception war, in the specific case of FranceAid to Ukraine is planned to amount to 3,000 million euros this year, adding to 2,000 billion euros and 1.7 billion euros last year.

Paris also emphasizes the need for Europe to have its own arms production, not only because of the situation on the ground in Ukraine, but also to “protect European sovereignty” so that it is not dependent on the US. 60% of the money distributed to the European Peace Fund was to purchase American equipment.