European Leaders Condemn Macron’s Statements on Sending Western Troops to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial statements about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine have sparked a storm of protests and controversy in Europe and around the world. Following the conference in support of Ukraine held in Paris, Macron said that “the possibility of sending Western troops to take part in the conflict in Ukraine in the future cannot be ruled out.” However, the Elysee Palace occupant noted that “today there is no consensus on sending ground troops in an official, recognized, and formalized way.”

Macron also announced the creation of “a new coalition to deliver medium- and long-range missiles to Ukraine.” Following the conference, Macron said it was decided to “create a coalition for deep bombing” using “medium and long-range missiles and bombs.” The French president specified that the new coalition will complement the existing ones – eight in total. “We will begin to form this coalition starting tonight,” the French president concluded.

The tough response of Moscow was not long in coming. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that a direct military conflict between NATO and Russia would be “inevitable” if soldiers from Western countries were sent to Ukraine.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, if Western armed forces land in Ukraine and face a large-scale offensive by the Russian army, “in this case we should speak not about the probability but about the inevitability (of a clash with NATO). This is how we define it. And these countries should also think this way, they should realize it and ask themselves, whether it corresponds to their interests and, above all, to the interests of the citizens of their countries,” Peskov said at a press conference.

Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and several other European leaders immediately put their hands forward, distancing themselves from Macron’s statements. “NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. But there are no plans to deploy NATO combat troops in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told the Associated Press.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “not a single soldier from EU or NATO countries will go to Ukraine.” Scholz also emphasized that “what was decided between us from the beginning remains valid in the future,” meaning that “there will be no troops, no soldiers sent by European or NATO states on Ukrainian soil.”

The discussion on the possibility of European countries sending their troops to Ukraine comes from the “lack of results on increasing aid to Kiev.” This was noted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a joint press conference with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who is on a visit to Moscow. According to Lavrov, this possibility is mentioned because of the “lack of visible results in increasing aid to Ukraine in the form of ammunition and weapons supplies.” According to the head of the Russian diplomacy, “not everyone in Europe likes the process of constantly pumping weapons into Ukraine. You can see that demonstrations and protests are continuing.”

As for the creation of a “missile coalition” by European countries to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons, this would be a “suicidal” step, Lavrov finally said, according to whom “the coalition would have to include the supply of long-range weapons so that they reach the depths of the Russian Federation, which in itself is suicidal if all this is confirmed,” the Russian foreign minister emphasized.