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French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the Ukraine war with The Economist.
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He said France could send troops in response to a Russian breakthrough if Ukraine requested it.
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His comments about French soldiers defending Ukraine were among the most combative by a Western leader.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that he would consider sending French troops to Ukraine and explained the conditions under which this could happen.
Speaking to The Economist, Macron described the urgent threat that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses to Europe following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I’m not ruling anything out because we’re dealing with someone who doesn’t rule anything out,” Macron said when asked about his previous comments that NATO troops could be deployed to defend Ukraine.
“We were undoubtedly too hesitant when we set the limits of our actions on someone who no longer has any and is the aggressor!”
He said he would consider sending French troops to Ukraine “if the Russians broke through the front lines, if there was a Ukrainian request, which is not the case today.”
He added that if Russia were to defeat Ukraine, it would likely try to attack another European country.
In recent months, political and military leaders have increasingly warned about the possible consequences of a Russian victory in Ukraine.
Macron’s comments about sending French troops to defend Ukraine were among the most combative by a Western leader.
They came as Ukraine, amid a U.S. aid bloc, struggled to prevent Russia from breaching its defense lines. And even though the $61 billion relief bill was recently passed, Ukraine is still struggling to contain increasing Russian attacks.
While NATO countries have sent money and weapons to support Ukraine, they have avoided direct confrontation, fearing it could escalate the conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.
According to Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, members are obliged to defend each other in the event of an attack.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Macron’s earlier comments that stationing NATO troops in Ukraine would lead to war between Russia and the alliance.
“We should talk not about probability, but about inevitability,” Peskov said, quoted by RFE/RL.
Analysts recently discussed the likelihood of a Russian attack on NATO with Business Insider. Russian military expert Ruth Deyermond said Putin’s regime is too weak militarily to risk a direct confrontation with NATO.
In an interview with The Economist, Macron said he was determined to prevent a Russian victory.
“We must not rule anything out because our goal is that Russia can never win in Ukraine,” he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider