Macron reveals why Coalition of Willing forces aren’t on move to Ukraine yet
French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: Vitalii Nosach – RBC-Ukraine)
Sending troops from the Coalition of the Willing to Ukraine right now would mean escalating the war and risking a loss of control over the situation. That’s why it’s off the table for now, states French President Emmanuel Macron at the Munich Security Conference.
Macron stressed that if they intervened today, they would be taking responsibility for escalation.
He added that there were currently no signs that Russia was genuinely seeking a compromise in peace talks.
The French president said that Russia was still bombing, targeting civilians, stalling, and harshly accumulating all the concessions offered by negotiators, effectively buying time, which was why it was necessary to organize, hold on, and resist.
At the same time, he acknowledged that there is currently no consensus among allies on sending troops to Ukraine.
Macron added that he believed they would be responsible for provoking an escalation and would likely lose control of the situation, emphasizing that it was important at that moment to deliver the package they had agreed on.
The French leader also stressed the importance of close coordination with the US.
He said that he believed their main priority in the coming weeks should be restoring cooperation with the US so that, together, they could assess that there was no longer room for short-term negotiations, and that additional sanctions, further measures against the shadow fleet, and increased pressure on the Russian economy should be implemented to stop the war from a much stronger position.
For context, most residents of France and Germany oppose sending their troops to Ukraine to maintain peace even after the war ends.
The only countries among those surveyed where more people support sending troops than oppose it are Canada and the UK.
Just before the new year, the Office of the President reported that France, Türkiye, Germany, and the UK had already given a clear yes to deploying troops to Ukraine. Other countries are still deliberating.
