French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated the possibility of sending a military contingent to take part in the conflict in Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday there were “no limits” or “red lines” in France’s support for Ukraine, opposition leaders said, condemning the “irresponsible” stance ahead of a parliamentary debate that promises to be stormy.
La France insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard, speaking to the press at the end of a 2.5-hour meeting at the Elysee Palace between the president and leaders of the parties represented in parliament, said:
“I arrived concerned and I left even more concerned.”
He said the head of state explained that “we must support Ukraine at any cost.” Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Association, said:
“The President of the Republic is ready to give Ukraine unlimited and seemingly total support. There are no limits and no red lines.”
Emmanuel Macron thus fully adopted his position of 26 February, when he said that sending ground troops to Ukraine in the future should not be “ruled out”, in the name of “strategic ambiguity”. Most of Kyiv’s other allies disagreed with this position, as his opponents in France did.
Later Thursday, France was also set to host a video conference of nearly 30 countries including Ukraine, which will follow up on the initiatives discussed at an international Ukraine summit hosted by Macron last week. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with the opposition, Macron had spoken to his predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace late Wednesday.
