20 European leaders, gathered in Paris, said they would send Russia a message of European resolve on Ukraine
The President of France – Emmanuel Macron has said that sending Western ground troops to Ukraine could not be ruled out as European allies announced new measures to deliver munitions and boost Ukraine’s defence.
His remarks came after 20 European leaders, gathered in Paris, said they would send Russian President- Vladimir Putin a message of European resolve on Ukraine and counter Russia’s claims that it would win the Ukraine war this year.
The conference was held after Ukraine suffered setbacks on Eastern battlefields, with the President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy, complaining of shortages of arms and soldiers.
Speaking to the media, Macron said, “We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe. There’s no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing can be ruled out.”
Taking it to X, he tweeted,
We are talking about our support for Ukraine and our collective security.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 26, 2024
A collective leap is necessary from all of us. pic.twitter.com/NViI9ntaVY
Macron declined to provide details about which nations were considering sending troops, saying he prefers to maintain some “strategic ambiguity”. Meanwhile, the United States (U.S.) has said that it has no plans to send troops to Ukraine. It also said that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops are also not being sent to Ukraine.
The Chancellor of Germany – Olaf Scholz, and the President of Poland – President Andrzej Duda, were also present during the meeting. The President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zleenskyy joined the meeting virtually. Duda said the most heated discussion was about whether to send troops to Ukraine and “there was no agreement on the matter”.
Macron is believed to be presenting himself as the European champion of Ukraine’s cause amid growing fears that U.S. support could wane in the coming years. The Prime Minister of Slovakia – Robert Fico, who opposed sending military aid to Ukraine, said that several NATO and European Union (E.U.) members are considering sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
While the E.U. is falling short of its target of sending 1 million rounds of artillery shells to Ukraine by March’24, about 15 countries have agreed to sign up to his initiative. The Defence Ministers have been asked to come up with a plan within the next 10 days. The Netherlands has announced to contribute € 100 million (U.S. $ 108.5 million) for the purchase of munitions overseas.
Macron also announced that a new coalition would be set up to supply Ukraine with missiles and bombs of medium and long range to carry out deep strikes”. There was a broad consensus on this along with ramping up joint production of arms for Ukraine and to boost their own defence.
