All words 'weighed': Macron clarifies statement on sending troops to Ukraine

Recently, the French president stated that the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine was "not ruled out," emphasizing that there was no consensus on this issue.

"These are quite serious matters. Every word I say on this topic is considered, deliberate, and weighed," Macron says.

However, in response to this statement by the French president, several European countries, including Germany, Poland, Italy, and Czechia, as well as the United States, categorically rejected the idea of deploying ground troops.

Earlier, we reported that French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has explained why foreign troops are needed in Ukraine.

Background

On February 26, a working meeting of about 20 European leaders was held in Paris. The conference participants discussed ways to counter Russia and possible ways to assist Ukraine in resisting the aggressor in the context of the escalation of the situation on the front lines in recent weeks.

In particular, at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out that NATO would deploy troops to assist Ukraine. The main problem, he said, was that there was currently no consensus on this issue.

In turn, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné explained what operations foreign troops could carry out in Ukraine.

However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out against sending NATO or EU troops to Ukraine, and Czechia and Poland also do not consider such an option.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was categorical, stating that there are no plans to deploy NATO combat troops on Ukrainian territory.

More details on the reaction of other leaders and whether partners are preparing to engage their armies can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.