French President Emmanuel Macron assured that his country, as well as Germany and Poland, do not intend to initiate an escalation in Ukraine.
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Macron’s next statements were made at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, broadcast on the official account of the Elysee Palace in X. The French leader announced the “clear and consistent determination” of the three countries “to do everything that is necessary , as long as necessary” to prevent Russia from winning the conflict in Ukraine.
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“We will continue to support Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary, and we will continue, as we have done from day one, to never take the initiative of any escalation,” the French president added.
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The day before, Macron had already assured in a television interview that France would never take the initiative in military operations in Ukraine. At the same time, he argued that his country is ready to respond to a possible escalation on the part of Russia and “make decisions that guarantee that it (the Russian Federation) will not win.”
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After a conference on supporting Ukraine in Paris at the end of February, Macron said that the EU had agreed to create a “ninth coalition for deep strikes” – supplying Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles. He also said that France will do everything to prevent Russia “from winning this war.” According to him, the leaders of Western countries have discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, a consensus has not yet been reached, “but nothing can be ruled out.” During a meeting with opposition leaders in early March, Macron reiterated that France “has no limits and no red lines” on the issue of assistance to Ukraine.
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Macron’s words about the possible dispatch of troops to Ukraine were sharply criticized by a number of NATO partners, including Germany, as well as political forces in France. The leaders of all political parties accused Macron of dragging Paris into the conflict, of frivolity, and also reproached him for not consulting parliament on these issues.
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Shortly after Macron’s statements, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin would not send its troops to Ukraine. Scholz also emphasized that NATO countries as a whole are not going to do this. In addition, the Chancellor again stated that there are no plans to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
