French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed his willingness to consider deploying French troops to Ukraine, outlining the specific conditions under which such a move would be made.
In an interview with The Economist, Macron emphasized the urgent threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Europe, following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Macron stated that he would not rule out sending French troops to Ukraine “if the Russians were to break through the front lines” and if there was a request from Ukraine, which is not currently the case. He also warned that if Russia were to defeat Ukraine, it would likely seek to attack another European country next.
Putin (Credits: Al Jazeera)
Macron’s remarks are among the most hawkish statements made by a Western leader, as political and military leaders increasingly sound the alarm about the potential consequences of a Russian victory in Ukraine.
Despite passing a $61 billion aid bill, Ukraine continues to struggle against intensifying Russian attacks, and NATO countries have so far avoided direct confrontation due to fears of escalation with a nuclear-armed Russia.
War in Ukraine (Credits: Crisis Group)
Under Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, member states are pledged to defend each other if attacked, and Macron’s earlier comments about deploying NATO troops to Ukraine drew a stern response from the Kremlin, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warning of the inevitability of war between Russia and the alliance.
However, analysts believe that Russia’s military is too weak to risk a direct confrontation with NATO, and Macron has reiterated his determination to prevent a Russian victory, stating “We mustn’t rule anything out… because our objective is that Russia must never be able to win in Ukraine.”
