War in Ukraine: Macron stirs controversy by saying he doesn’t rule out sending troops (and the Kremlin responds with warning)
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French President Emmanuel Macron said this Monday, in words that are resonating across Europe and beyond, that “we should not exclude” sending Western troops to Ukraine to support the country in its war against Russia. .
These statements prompted the leaders of Europe and the United States, members of NATO, to widely express their disagreement with the idea.
Russia has repeatedly warned that any deployment of Western troops in Ukraine direct conflict will begin Between Moscow and the military alliance.
“In this case, we should not talk about probability, but about Inevitability (of conflict). This is how we evaluate it”said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to Russian President Vladimir Putin, when questioned about Macron’s words.
“And these countries should evaluate it and be aware of it in the same way. And ask themselves whether it matches their interests and, above all, the interests of the citizens of their countries,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said: “It seems to me that people who not only express such views, but also accept them in their minds, need to open this mind to more secure, more rational ideas for Europe.” Should be used.”
Russian troops have recently made advances into Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainians are suffering a weapons shortage.
Kiev is heavily dependent on supplies of modern weapons from its Western alliesEspecially the United States, to be able to continue the fight against Russian troops, who are greatly outnumbered and have abundant artillery ammunition.
But the lack of consensus in the US Congress on sending more weapons and the slowness in supplies from European countries is complicating the situation for the Ukrainian army.
Reactions to Macron’s words
At a meeting of European leaders in Paris, Macron said Ukraine’s victory was vital for the stability of Europe. At the summit they discussed the feasibility of sending troops to that country or not.
“Today there is no agreement About sending ground troops, But nothing can be ruled out“The French President said. “We will do everything possible to prevent Russia from winning this war. “We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is essential for security and stability in Europe.”
This Tuesday, the French Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourn, qualified the president’s words, maintaining that he was not referring to the involvement of troops in active combat.
“We must consider new actions to support Ukraine. These must respond to very specific needs, I am thinking specifically about subversion, cyber defense, weapons production on siteOn Ukrainian territory,” Séjourn told French legislators.
In any case, Macron’s suggestion was rejected by some of the world’s top leaders.
He German Chancellor Olaf ScholzSaid that “one thing is clear: there will be no ground forces from European states or NATO.”
He British Prime Minister Rishi SunakFor his part, said that his country “has already sent a small number of its troops to Ukraine” for support operations.
“We are not planning large-scale deployment of troops. The United Kingdom also trains a large number of Ukrainian troops on its territory. Of course, we also support Ukrainian troops by sending them equipment and other means.
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Ukraine has called for more military assistance from its allies.
A White House statement indicated that US President Joe Biden“has made clear that the United States will not send troops to fight in Ukraine,” but believes that “the way to victory is to provide military assistance” so that Ukrainian troops have weapons and ammunition. Get what they need to protect themselves.”
office of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia MeloniDeclared that Italy’s “support does not include the presence of troops of European states or NATO on Ukrainian territory.”
He too NATO Secretary General Denied immediate presence of troops in Ukraine. “There are no plans to send NATO combat troops to Ukrainian territory,” he said. jens stoltenberg,
The leaders of Sweden, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic have also denied any intention of sending troops to the front.
In addition to talking about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, Macron also mentioned in his speech the possibility of supplying Kiev with “long-range missiles and bombs”, which has so far been avoided due to the West’s growing fear of Has not happened. Conflict.
What is Macron looking for?
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Ukraine is heavily dependent on advanced weapons sent from abroad.
Macron may aim with these words for international politics expert Ulrisk Speck Maintain “strategic uncertainty” Which keeps Moscow on alert.
“But such things cannot seem completely unexpected: they have to be convincing. To explain, Ukraine requires consistent and large-scale military support, something that France has not done in the last two years,” Speck said on the X social network.
Military analyst Nicholas Drummond, a former British army officer, believes that the French President uses A strategy to “improve its image on the international stage”.
“It is extremely unlikely that France or any other NATO country will send troops to the battlefield in Ukraine. He also wrote in X, “We can fight a proxy war against Russia and Putin, but have no desire to participate directly.”
Macron’s statements on sending long-range missiles and deployment of troops in the opinion of Pavel Aksenov, war correspondent of the BBC Russian Service cross the “red lines” The underlying relationship between the West and Russia.
“Macron’s words about the hypothetical involvement of foreign troops in the Ukrainian war are an even more serious violation of these lines. The possibility of such a development has been discussed more than once at different levels, but now it has been stated by the head of the largest European NATO member state,” Aksenov said.
He also said it could be part of a strategy of small, subtle moves, “in which adversaries do not seriously violate the terms of treaties, but do so in very small steps, each of which may not provoke war.” Is.”
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