France is not preparing to send ground troops to Ukraine – Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that Paris is currently not preparing to send its ground troops to Ukraine. However, he has noted that France is considering the possibility of deploying military experts or a limited contingent outside the line of contact as a show of solidarity.

Source: French newspaper Le Figaro

Details: Macron emphasised that "France is not preparing to send combat ground forces to the line of contact [in Ukraine] as of now."

"Among all the options to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, there is a possibility of sending experts or even troops in limited numbers outside any conflict zone to support the Ukrainians and demonstrate solidarity," he added.

Macron also stated that his country supports the rearmament of Ukraine’s Armed Forces as part of a long-term security strategy.

Among other measures, he mentioned the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, noting that this issue is being actively discussed with the UK.

Macron also referred to a potential "decision within talks to conduct a UN-mandated peacekeeping operation along the line of contact".

Background:

• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is sceptical about the idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission. She described sending troops as the "most complex and least effective" way to ensure peace in Ukraine.
• Earlier, The Washington Post unofficially found out that Europe was ready to potentially send up to 30,000 troops to Ukraine, with France ready to provide about a third of them.
• After an emergency meeting of European leaders in Paris on 17 February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again opposed discussions about the deployment of German troops to Ukraine as part of a potential "peaceful settlement".

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