France’s chief of defence staff, General Thierry Burkhard, wrote to half of his NATO colleagues exploring the possibility of forming a coalition to tackle challenges in Ukraine, including manning defence systems, training forces in the country, launching cyber operations and helping with demining, according to Politico.
However, no military commander would send such a letter without the explicit support of his country’s top political leadership. Every ally has responded to such an offer firmly and clearly: No.
Paris, however, did not seem to have heeded the refusal, for Macron soon remarked:
“There is no consensus today to send ground troops officially.”
NATO leaders have publicly condemned the idea of sending European or alliance troops to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and others stated that it would not happen. Biden explained:
We will not fight the third world war in Ukraine.
One reason could be to finally respond to growing pressure from allies to send more military aid to Ukraine. Scholz and others have repeatedly raised the issue with Macron, and the chancellor even asked Biden to bring it up when they met in Washington in early February.
So far, France has contributed about €6.8bn (including the promised €3bn for 2024), whereas Germany has provided €17.7bn in direct military aid over the past two years. Paris, however, argues that its military contribution is more significant, including, for instance, long-range missiles that Berlin has refused to supply. Macron stated, with an explicit emphasis on Germany:
“Many of the people who say ‘never, never’ today were the same people who said ‘never, never tanks; never, never planes; never, never long-range missiles; never, never this’ two years ago. I remind you that two years ago, many around this table said: ‘We will offer sleeping bags and helmets.”
However, as funding for Ukraine is hampered in the US Congress due to internal divisions, the question of how best to help Ukraine remains a serious and important one. In order to address it, the West must consider all options, including those previously ruled out.
Practice shows that loud statements, such as those recently made by Macron, provoke a strong public reaction, so it is necessary to discuss such issues “quietly, behind closed doors.”
