French President Emmanuel Macron has openly broached the topic of potentially dispatching European troops to Ukraine to aid Kyiv in its conflict against Russia, marking a potential significant escalation in the largest ground warfare Europe has faced since World War II.
Although the likelihood of Western democracies committing ground forces to Ukraine remains slim, Macron’s remarks, made after a summit in support of Ukraine, elicited a stern response from the Kremlin and prompted European leaders to swiftly reassess their positions.
A NATO official informed CNN that the alliance currently has “no intentions” to deploy combat forces in Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, present at the Paris meeting on Monday, remarked that while there was a substantial debate and thorough discussion on the matter, all summit participants were collectively against the idea of deploying troops.
Macron clarified during a news conference with reporters that although he and the other 21 European leaders in attendance did not reach a consensus on the deployment of military personnel, the topic was openly deliberated.
“Nothing should be ruled out,” he said. “We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
However, a raft of European officials came out Tuesday against such a plan. Among them were some of Ukraine’s more ardent supporters, including the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain and Italy, as well as officials from Hungary and Slovakia, two countries whose leaders have been criticized as pro-Russian.
“What was agreed among ourselves and with each other from the very beginning also applies to the future, namely that there will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or NATO states,” said Scholz.
Macron did, however, announce that a new coalition would be created to supply Ukraine with medium-range and long-range missiles.
“We’re at a critical moment in this conflict that requires us to take the initiative,” Macron said.
With Republicans in Congress withholding $60 billion in American funding for Ukraine, the responsibility has shifted to Europe to assist in arming Ukraine as it struggles to repel a resurgent Russian military.
Ukrainian soldiers stationed on the frontlines report dwindling ammunition supplies, resulting in significant setbacks on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a recent CNN interview that failure by Washington to provide additional aid could result in “millions” of casualties.
While the European Union has already pledged over $150 billion in aid to Ukraine, the prospect of deploying troops remains a drastic measure, one that seemed unimaginable when Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion two years ago.
Macron emphasized the gradual increase in support from Western democracies, citing Germany as an example. Initially offering helmets and sleeping bags to Kyiv at the onset of the conflict, Germany now acknowledges the necessity of supplying Ukraine with missiles and tanks.
“The people that said ‘never ever’ today were the same ones who said never ever planes, never ever long-range missiles, never ever trucks. They said all that two years ago,” he said. “We have to be humble and realize that we (have) always been six to eight months late.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that such a deployment in Ukraine would put the West in conflict with Moscow.
“In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability of a conflict.” Peskov said. “These countries must also assess and be aware of this, asking themselves whether this is in their interests, as well as the interests of the citizens of their countries.”
