Emmanuel Macron says sending troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out

Paris:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday opened the door for European countries to send troops to Ukraine, although he cautioned there was no consensus at this stage as the allies agreed to step up efforts to deliver more war materials to Kiev. Had happened.

About 20 European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday to send a message of European resolve on Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin and counter the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is bound to win the war, now in its third year.

“At this stage … there is no consensus on sending troops on the ground,” Macron told reporters. “Nothing should be excluded. We will do everything we must so that Russia does not win.”

Macron invited his European counterparts to the Elysee Palace for a hastily arranged meeting to discuss how to increase ammunition supplies to Ukraine, his advisers say, concerned about an increase in Russian aggression over the past few weeks. Did.

After initial successes in pushing back Russian forces, Ukraine has faced setbacks on eastern battlefields, with its generals complaining of a shortage of weapons and troops.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who opposes military aid to Ukraine, said that several NATO and EU members are considering sending troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.

He said before boarding his plane, “I can confirm that there are countries that are prepared to send their troops to Ukraine, there are countries that are prepared never to send troops to Ukraine, including Slovakia and There are countries that say this proposal needs to be considered.” Home.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the front-runner to become NATO’s next secretary general, told reporters the issue of sending troops was not the focus of Monday’s talks.

Addressing the leaders via videolink, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky backed Macron’s warning about an escalation of the conflict: “We must ensure that Putin cannot destroy our achievements and extend his aggression to other countries.” Can’t expand.”

“Many people who say ‘never, never’ today are the same people who two years ago said ‘never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles’,” Macron said.

He said, “Let us have the humility to recognize that we are often six to twelve months late. That was the purpose of this evening’s discussion: everything if it is useful to achieve our objective. possible.” He said that Europe should not depend on it. On the United States to fight in Ukraine.

more ammunition

Progress has been made on a Czech-led initiative to buy hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition from third countries, which France is cautious about as it seeks to prioritize developing Europe’s own industry.

Ammunition supplies have become a serious issue for Kiev. However, the EU is falling short of its target of sending one million rounds of artillery shells to Ukraine by March.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that about 15 countries had agreed to sign his initiative. Macron said Paris would do the same and an alliance has also been agreed to speed up the delivery of long-range missiles.

“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition that we should and can get in a relatively short period of time,” Fiala told reporters.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said defense ministers have been ordered to present a plan within the next 10 days.

Rutte said the Netherlands would contribute 100 million euros to purchase war material abroad. He said that the countries providing weapons have asked not to reveal their identities.

“I think there was a very great sense of urgency, especially in the short term on ammunition and air defence,” Rutte said. “I hope other countries will follow suit.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Foreign Minister David Cameron as well as leaders of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries were among those attending.

The United States, which is under intense scrutiny after its latest military aid package for Ukraine stalled in Congress, was represented by Jim O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

French officials said Macron, who is due to visit Kiev in March, was keen to seek a solution after no progress was made at a security conference in Munich this month.

“We are neither disappointed nor sad,” the French adviser said. “We want Russia to understand this. Russia has to trust all of us collectively to end this war.”

French officials said Russia has shown renewed aggression in recent weeks, including Putin’s flight of a nuclear-capable bomber, which they see as an attempt to intimidate Europeans at a time when presidential elections are looming. American support has been thrown into doubt.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)