PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron triggered a shockwave in Europe on Tuesday (Feb 27) by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Macron had hosted a conference of European leaders on Monday - just over two years to the day after Russia invaded Ukraine - seeking to rally greater support for Kyiv, which faces increasing battlefield challenges and dwindling munition stocks.
He painted a grim picture of Russia under President Vladimir Putin, arguing there had been a "change of posture" even in the last months that had seen a hardening of its stance both domestically and in Ukraine.
"Nothing can be excluded to pursue our objective: Russia cannot and must not win this war," Macron said after the conference gathering leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda that ended with a midnight press conference.
While there was "no consensus" on the sending of Western ground troops to Ukraine, "nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war", Macron added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a muted initial reaction on Tuesday, saying that sending Western troops to Ukraine was "absolutely not in the interests of these countries, they should be aware of this".
"CAN'T RULE OUT ANYTHING"
Macron had refused to say more about France's position, citing the need for "strategic ambiguity" but saying the issue was mentioned "among the options".
"We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe," Macron said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, accused by critics of being too cosy with Moscow, said after the meeting that there was disunity on the issue at the meeting.
"There are countries that are ready to send their own soldiers to Ukraine, there are countries that say never - Slovakia is among them - and there are countries that say that this proposal should be considered," he said.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, which is set to join NATO, poured initial cold water on the idea, saying "it's not on the cards at all for the moment".
"For the moment, we're busy sending advanced (military) equipment to Ukraine," Kristersson said.
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2024-02-27 10:59:06Z
CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvbWFjcm9uLW5vdC1ydWxpbmctb3V0LXNlbmRpbmctd2VzdGVybi10cm9vcHMtdWtyYWluZS00MTUxNTg20gEA
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