‘We Must Not Be Weak’: France Prez Macron Declines To Rule Out Sending Western Troops In Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday, stated that sending Western troops into Ukraine shouldn’t be ruled out even though today’s situation doesn’t require it. He also warned the Western powers against showing any signs of weakness to Russia. “We’re not in that situation today,” Macron stated, but added that “all these options are possible.” He further described the Russia-Ukraine war as “existential” to Europe and France.

In an interview on the French national television France 2 and TF1, Macron was questioned about the prospect of deploying Western troops to Ukraine, an issue he publicly raised last month, prompting pushback from fellow European leaders who maintained they had no plans to do so, reported news agency AP.

The French president who is also the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces declined to elaborate on the situation under which France would be ready to dispatch troops. He stated that the responsibility for promoting such a move would lie with Moscow, stressing that France would not be the one to lead an offensive into Ukraine against Russia, AP reported.

However, he also stated: “Today, to have peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak.”

“If war was to spread to Europe, it would be Russia’s sole choice and sole responsibility. But for us to decide today to be weak, to decide today that we would not respond, is being defeated already. And I don’t want that,” Macron stated.

His televised interview came in just after the French parliament debated the country’s Ukraine strategy earlier this week. Both the Senate and the National Assembly approved the 10-year bilateral security agreement in symbolic votes. The agreement was signed last month between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Macron, AP reported.

Macron stated that he would work towards bringing further support to Ukraine at a meeting which is set to be held on Friday with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

In February, Macron appeared isolated on the European stage after the remarks he made during a Paris conference on Ukraine prompted an outcry from other leaders.

Sholz, a German politician, particularly disapproved of Macron’s stance stating that participants had agreed that  “no ground troops” would be sent on Ukrainian soil by European states.