French President Emmanuel Macron calls for tangible and credible security guarantees for Ukraine
Macron argued that Kyiv is continuing to "protect Europe" by holding its ground against Russia's invasion
The French president added that it is in the best interest of the West that NATO provide security assurances to Kyiv
French President Emmanuel Macron is demanding NATO provide Ukraine with "tangible and credible" security guarantees as Kyiv continues to battle Russia's invasion.
During his Wednesday remarks, the French president also stressed that Kyiv is continuing to "protect Europe." Macron added that it is in the best interest of the West that Ukraine receives security assurances from the global military alliance.
Macron Calls for Security Guarantees for Ukraine
In his statement while in Bratislava, Macron said that he is in favor of offering tangible and credible security guarantees to Ukraine. He said that this topic will be the subject of collective talks in the next few weeks.
Macron said that various NATO members could provide such security guarantees to Ukraine for the time being as Kyiv has expressed its desire to join the military alliance. He said that it is crucial to building something that is between the security that was provided to Israel and full-fledged membership, as per Yahoo News.
The French president's remarks were made during a visit to Slovakia where he delivered a speech at an event that was organized by Globsec, an international affairs think tank. The event was focused on discussing regional security issues and comes shortly before the NATO summit that is set to be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11 to July 12.
During the event, Macron recalled that he previously called the Western defense alliance "brain dead" but argued that Russia's invasion that began last year "jolted NATO awake." He said that Ukraine desperately needs help to carry out a counter-offensive against Moscow's military forces.
The French president said that it was what they were currently doing but claims that there is a need to intensify efforts. He argues that in the next few months, the situation would offer a chance of lasting peace.
Protecting Europe
On the other hand, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu described the military alliance's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. She said that the alliance, within hours of the first attack, activated its defense plans from the Baltic to the Black Sea, according to Defense One.
These include placing 40,000 troops under NATO command that are backed by significant air and maritime capabilities. The military alliance also doubled the number of battle groups that it had deployed in the east from four to eight and worked to reinforce them to brigade level.
Despite Macron's calls for assistance for Ukraine, he has faced continuous criticism since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war for keeping communication channels open with Moscow. The countries that commented on this include Poland which intensified after the French president visited the Kremlin only a few weeks before the start of the invasion.
Furthermore, Eastern European governments were critical of the French president's declaration in June 2022 where he said that it was crucial not to "humiliate" Russia. His remarks were a reference to a future peace settlement where he warned against a potential repeat of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, said France24.
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