The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has not ruled out this Monday that Ukraine’s allied countries may send troops to that country in the future to prevent a Russian victory. It is the first time that a Western leader mentions this possibility so clearly.
At the end of a meeting at the Elysée with about twenty heads of state and government who form the coalition supporting Kyiv, Macron said that “there is no consensus today to officially, assumedly send ground troops, but, according to evolution, nothing can be excluded”. “We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war,” he stressed. The French president recalled, as an example, that two years ago no one thought about sending tanks or other material, and then it was done.
“The defeat of Russia is essential for stability and security in Europe,” the host of the meeting insisted at a press conference.
The tone of the meeting was severe from the beginning. Already in his introductory speech, Macron warned that Russia may attack other European countries “within a few years” and “we must prepare” for this eventuality. “On the Ukrainian front, positions are increasingly tougher and we know that Russia is preparing new attacks, especially to shock Ukrainian public opinion,” he added.
The summit was convened as part of the events and discussions on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion and to reaffirm the continuity and strengthening of support for Kyiv. Macron was unable to participate in Saturday’s videoconference meeting of G-7 leaders and wanted to show French leadership in Europe.
The warning about future Russian aggression beyond Ukraine was expressed in unusually clear terms. Macron spoke of the fact that there is “a consensus of collective analysis that, in a few years, we would have to prepare for Russia to attack those countries.” He was referring to the opinions of the leaders sitting around the table “and many international organizations of which we are a part.” Listening to these words, seriously, were the leaders of the countries most directly threatened, such as the presidents of Finland, Poland, Romania and Lithuania, as well as the prime ministers of Estonia and Latvia. There were also the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz; the head of the British Foreign Office, David Cameron; and the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez. The low level of Italian representation was significant, with a deputy foreign minister, and the US, Kyiv’s main and indispensable support, with a deputy secretary of state.
The French president lamented the “hardening of Russia” in all areas, including internally, “which has been cruelly illustrated by the death of Alexei Navalny,” the persecution of opponents and preventing them from participating in the elections. Macron also referred to cyber attacks and disinformation practiced by the Kremlin. The French head of state insisted that “Russia cannot and must not win this war,” that the countries present “do not want to go to war with the Russian people” and that the common desire is to “control the escalation.”
After the host’s introductory speech, a video recorded by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was broadcast, in which he again thanked the help received, but asked for more.
The gap between rhetoric and facts is the main problem facing allies. Despite commitments for more financial and military aid, taboos remain. Scholz said yesterday in Berlin, for example, that Germany cannot deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, vital for hitting strategic targets inside Russia, because this sophisticated weapons system, capable of destroying bunkers, requires the participation of German military personnel. This would be put at risk, even if it operated from Germany itself. The Government of Berlin refuses to participate in such a visible way in a worsening of the conflict.
Despite this German refusal, the allies have nevertheless committed in Paris to create a coalition to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles and bombs.
