– If the Russians were to get a breakthrough on the front line, and there was a request from Ukraine, we had to ask ourselves that question.
This is what French President Emmanuel Macron said about the possibility of French forces in Ukraine in an interview with The Economist magazine on Thursday.
The statement came after questions about whether he stood by his previous statements that it could be appropriate to deploy French forces on the ground in Ukraine, and whether other European leaders are bound to have a similar attitude if Russia is to be sufficiently deterred from further hostilities on European earth.
Macron repeated his previously stated message that strategic ambiguity only serves a purpose if one is actually willing to resort to action. Macron explained this by saying that their credibility partly rests on not giving full insight into what they are willing or unwilling to do.
He explained that in 2022 it was out of the question to send tanks, long-range missiles and aircraft into NATO, but that it is now the reality.
– To thus exclude ground forces is not to learn the lessons from the last two years, Macron said.
– I have one clear strategic goal: Russia cannot win in Ukraine.
Furthermore, he wants an extended military strategic discussion also with European countries outside the EU, where Great Britain and Norway are specifically mentioned.
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Prejudices
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, on Friday morning called Macron’s actions “very important and dangerous statements”, and believes that the statements join a dangerous trend, according to the Washington Post.
Macron is not alone in emphasizing his support for Ukraine. During a visit to Kyiv on Friday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine can expect over three billion pounds in annual military aid “for as long as it is needed,” according to Reuters.
Furthermore, Cameron saw that British weapons and missiles given to Ukraine need not be limited to attacks on Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, and that it was up to the authorities in Kyiv whether the weapons should be used to attack targets within the Russians’ borders.
– Ukraine has the right to it. Just as the Russians attack inside Ukraine, one can understand how the Ukrainians have a need to defend themselves, said Cameron.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov called Cameron’s move “another dangerous move,” according to the Washington Post.
– This is a direct escalation of the tension surrounding the conflict in Ukraine, which possibly threatens European security and the entire European security structure, said Peskov.
The United States is among the countries that have previously been concerned about the use of long-range missiles inside Russia, according to AP.
It recently became known that the US has secretly supplied ATACMS to Ukraine, according to the New York Times. Among other things, the missiles were used to attack targets on the Crimean peninsula.
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Support from the Baltics
The first time Macron spoke about the possibility of deploying forces in Ukraine was in February. At the time, they were rejected by, among others, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
– There will be no ground forces or soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by either European states or NATO states, said Scholz.
Macron, on the other hand, received support from Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis.
France Lithuania French President Emmanuel Macron and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda agree that European ground forces in Ukraine cannot be ruled out outright. (Michel Euler/AP)
Landsbergis said that no possibility should be dismissed out of hand and that drawing lots of red lines only benefits Putin, according to the Lithuanian news agency LRT.
Dagsavisen has previously written about how Landsbergis believes Europe lacks sufficient political will to help Ukraine.
– We do not lack ability, we lack political will and the urgency we need to support Ukraine, but also to maintain our collective security. Russia, on the other hand, has the will to destroy Ukraine and re-establish the Russian Empire. When should we start using our ability to counteract this?, Landsbergis has previously written on X, formerly Twitter.
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