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French President Emmanuel Macron has said that while Paris seeks to avoid direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, an intervention may be necessary to deter Russia from advancing too far.
The European Union "would lose all credibility and security" if Russia were to prevail, Macron said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, responding to a question on whether France is "going to go to war."
"Our own future and our security is at stake in Ukraine," the French leader argued, stressing that in addition to delivering more military equipment to Kiev, EU nations must be "ready to act" if "the Russians are going too far."
"So no, I hope with all my might that we won't have to go to war," he said, insisting that France is a "peace power." However, Paris needs to continue to arm itself in order to "protect peace," Macron continued, stressing that intervention must remain an option if the country's interests are threatened.
"We have to be dissuasive and credible towards our adversaries sometimes by telling them: 'If you go too far and if you threaten our interests, my own security, then I do not rule out intervening'," he said.
Macron's comments echoed his previous statements on a potential deployment of troops in Ukraine. In February, the French President refused to rule out the prospect of NATO boots on the ground, claiming that the EU's credibility "will be reduced to zero" if Ukraine is defeated. A few months later he urged EU nations to boost their military spending and arms production to reduce dependence on Washington.
The French president doubled down in an interview with the Economist earlier this month, calling the Kremlin the main threat to EU security and saying that keeping the option of deploying troops in Ukraine is necessary as a "wake-up call," while defending his "strategic ambiguity" approach.
Moscow has criticized Macron's "dangerous talk," with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claiming that the French president may be using Russophobia and scaremongering tactics to satisfy his ambition of leading the European Union.
Comment:
1) Here is some history for Macron's latest statements:
- Macron 'breathes Russophobia' - Lavrov
- The real reason Macron is pushing the French troops narrative for Ukraine
- Macron warns about Russian missiles in a defeated Ukraine
- Best of the Web: Hungary, Italy reject Macron's 'dangerous' claim of possibly sending NATO troops to Ukraine
- Loose cannon: Macron's stance on Russia causing 'unease' among officials
- Macron's troops in Ukraine rhetoric is 'PR stunt' - Lavrov
- To protect Macron? France wants foreign troops to reinforce Olympics security
- US angry with Macron - Bloomberg
- 'Little Napoleon' Macron obsesses over personal security amid Ukrainian conflict - media
- France's megalomaniac Macron is gambling with world peace
- Emmanuel Macron might be a clown, but he's a dangerous clown
- And Israel? Macron to propose 'Olympic ceasefire' for Ukraine conflict
- Macron leads the way to Western civilization's suicide
- Majority disagree with Macron's comments on sending NATO troops to Ukraine - poll
- Macron irresponsibly increases tensions between Europe and Russia
- Macron is a 'coward' - Medvedev
- Macron delays Kyiv visit amid tensions over Ukraine comments
- Vast majority of French oppose Macron's 'troops in Ukraine' comment - poll
- Best of the Web: Napoleonic folly: Macron stands by remarks on NATO troops in Ukraine
- How Macron's latest Ukraine comments blew NATO apart
- Putin allies tell Macron: Any French troops you send to Ukraine will suffer fate of Napoleon's army
- Who's brain-dead now, Macron?
- Sell out: Macron and Zelensky sign military deal By now a few countries likr Turkey, Switzerland, Ireland, Slovakia, and Hungary have not signed bilateral agreements with Kiev. This allows, perhaps, Ukraine to call in assistance without involving NATO.
2) There was also, across the channel from France: UK ambassador summoned to Kremlin: Moscow threatens to strike British military facilities following Cameron's Ukraine remarkAnd in that connection, most interesting, Conservative British MP, Andrew Bridgen, said in an interview the UK is basically at war with Russia, but that Rishi Sunak does not want to be a wartime PM, and that the UK Government does not want to tell the public until later in the year, July, August, maybe later.
3) If Macron knows, and basically agrees, with what Andrew Bridgen says, how would he brake it to the French people? Would he keep rambling about "troops on the ground" and "hope nots" as he does? Or is he playing a different game and making excuses to build up an army not to fight Russia, but the US considering: Being a US 'ally' means silently watching your own destruction and hoping France will come out on top with him as the leader of Western Europe? We can only guess, wait, and see. For now, Macron would probably like to see the PR stunt at the Olympics in France get squeezed in before. Regarding "French interests" in Ukraine see: France will likely seek to secure Ukraine's Black Sea coast if it conventionally intervenes