French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside other European leaders in Paris on Monday, mentioned the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
There is no agreement to deploy troops on the ground in an official capacity. However, Macron mentioned during a news conference at the Elysee presidential palace that nothing can be ruled out in terms of dynamics. He also stated that Europe is committed to doing everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning the war.
Macron Not Ruling Out Western Troops on Ground in Ukraine
Macron chose not to disclose information about the countries considering sending troops, stating a preference for maintaining "strategic ambiguity." The meeting, which became intense at times, involved German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Poland's President Andrzej Duda, and leaders from the Baltic nations, who are seen as potential targets of future Russian expansionism and continue to strongly back Ukraine.
Representing the United States was its top diplomat for Europe, James O'Brien, while Foreign Secretary David Cameron represented the UK. Duda mentioned that the most intense debate revolved around the decision to deploy troops to Ukraine, with no consensus reached. Opinions vary, but there are no definitive conclusions."
Poland's president expressed his hope that soon, there will be collaborative efforts to send significant amounts of ammunition to Ukraine. This is of utmost importance at the moment. This is something that Ukraine really needs. During a video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the leaders assembled in Paris to prevent Putin from undermining their progress and spreading his aggression to other countries.
New Alliance in Support of Ukraine
Furthermore, according to Macron's statement, a new alliance is set to enhance the involvement of countries possessing the ability to deploy medium and long-range missiles. This comes as France revealed the acquisition of 40 more long-range Scalp cruise missiles last month, as per Fox News.
Western officials admit that Russia may have the advantage in the conflict this year due to Ukraine's dwindling supply of weapons and ammunition. On Sunday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov highlighted that a significant portion of the Western military assistance promised to Kyiv arrives late, emphasizing that promises alone are not enough.
Sharing the extent of Ukraine's human casualties, Zelensky announced that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had lost their lives in the conflict with Russia. A French presidential official, who preferred to remain anonymous, mentioned that the meeting was necessary to counter any perception of disarray following Ukraine's recent losses in battle.
The officials stated they aimed to communicate clearly to Putin that he would not succeed in Ukraine. There are increasing concerns about the sustainability of long-term US support for Ukraine as a new aid package faces challenges in gaining legislative approval and with Donald Trump considering a return to the presidency in this year's elections.
The recent vote by Hungary's parliament on Monday to allow Sweden to join NATO was met with relief by Ukraine's allies. Macron extended his congratulations to Sweden, with Scholz describing the move as 'a win for all of us' and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak celebrating a 'historic day' for the military alliance, Daily Mail reported.
