Emanuel Macron
© Pool photo by Gonzalo Fuentes via AFP/Getty ImagesMacron has upped anti-Russia rhetoric in recent weeks, ruffling feathers among allies, particularly in Germany.
The Elysée Palace denied security concerns over the visit after a Russian missile landed near the Greek prime minister's motorcade in Ukraine last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron has pushed back a long-planned visit to Ukraine amid tensions with allies over his increasingly hawkish comments on Russia.

The visit has been delayed several times and was initially planned for February, before being pushed back to mid-March. On Sunday, a statement from the French Presidential Palace said the visit would take place "in the next few weeks."

The Elysée Palace rejected suggestions that security concerns played a role in the postponement after a Russian missile hit near Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to Ukraine last week. "There are no worries in terms of security," an aide to the president said Monday.

Macron has upped anti-Russia rhetoric in recent weeks, ruffling feathers among allies, particularly in Germany. Macron remarked last week that Europe should not be "cowards" in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, after announcing in February that Western ground troops in Ukraine could not be "ruled out."

Instead of rushing to Kyiv, Macron now wants to "take the necessary time" for discussions with allies, so that he can visit Ukraine "with tangible results," according to a French diplomat who discussed the sensitive issue on condition of anonymity.
"A bit of time is needed to [conclude] the different coalitions and their operational commitments with our partners," said the diplomat.
The French president has been active in his support of a Czech initiative to buy ammunition from non-European partners for Ukraine and in building support for a long-range missile coalition for Ukraine.