French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will not take the lead in an offensive against Russia.
The French leader stated this in his interview with TF 1 Info.
According to him, the war in Ukraine has existential significance for all of Europe and for France, and the security of the French depends on the victory of the Ukrainians.
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— If Russia wins, the life of the French people will change. We will no longer have security, and the authority of Europe will be reduced to zero,” Macron said in an interview.
Sending French troops to Ukraine
The French President said on February 26 that it may be possible to send ground troops to Ukraine. According to him, in the face of escalation from the Kremlin regime, if the situation worsens — we must be prepared.
However, Emmanuel Macron stressed that France would not take the initiative for the offensive and that final responsibility would lie with Russia.
— “We will never lead the offensive, we will never take the initiative,” he explained, although he believes that such options should not be completely ruled out if war threatened Europe.
French readiness for war
The French President said that in this situation only one person is responsible for the war in Ukraine — This is Putin, the Kremlin regime.
According to Macron, France's defense industry is not adapted to high-intensity territorial warfare.
— Today, for there to be peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak, and therefore we must look at the situation soberly and must say with determination and courage that we are ready to achieve our goal so that Russia does not win. “We have a responsibility,” said the French president.
Weapons supplies to Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron also stressed that the priority task for Europeans is to speed up the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. He said that France was going to survey all the countries in the world … about the stocks they have and will offer to buy them back. He also added that EU countries are working together to supply various types of equipment, from artillery to air defense, including direct production of weapons in Ukraine.
Macron on France's nuclear potential
The President recalled that France has its own doctrine when it comes to nuclear issues. This is how he responded to nuclear threats from Russian dictator Putin.
— First of all, our nuclear capabilities provide the French with a level of security that few countries in the world enjoy. This places a responsibility on us — be the power that possesses these weapons and therefore never escalate,” he said.
Kremlin regime — this is the enemy
According to Macron, today the Kremlin regime is the enemy. The President noted that France is not waging war against Russia, but supports Ukraine, and is doing everything possible to help Ukraine defeat Russia.
He stressed that there can be no lasting peace if Ukraine does not have sovereignty, if there is no return to the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, including Crimea.
Sending NATO troops to Ukraine
February 26 Macron, after a meeting of European leaders in Paris, said that despite the lack of consensus on sending troops to Ukraine, nothing can be ruled out.
Subsequently he added that sending his troops to Ukraine — This is not a prospect for the near future.
It was previously reported that Emmanuel Macron intends to visit Ukraine in the coming weeks.
