French President Emmanuel Macron holds a series of talks with his allies in an attempt to persuade them to take a tougher stance on Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The White House initially pursued a strategy of avoiding actions that could escalate the conflict. Macron called Biden and Scholz to inform them that he wanted to use the Paris summit to send a signal to Putin by announcing a new approach. Scholz explained to him that the leaders of other countries would be forced to reject his position, advising him not to take the step. According to the chancellor, this could create a sense of division among EU and NATO member states, which would play into the Kremlin’s hands.
Discussions over the presence of Western troops in Ukraine have raised questions about how allies should respond if any Western military personnel were killed in a Russian strike. According to a US official, such an action could draw France or another country into a war.
Macron, in his turn, stated that there would be no need to involve NATO or the US troops if Russia targeted French forces. He recalled a case where his country suffered losses in military campaigns in Africa and did not seek help from allies.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Paris for talks on the military conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. A possible NATO troop deployment to Ukraine was discussed during the meeting with Macron and representatives of the French government. Blinken and Macron reportedly expressed their desire to “intensify” support for Ukraine, primarily from the EU countries.
The Estonian Defence Ministry stated that servicemen from the EU countries would under no circumstances take a direct part in combat operations, limiting themselves to training Ukrainian soldiers. According to the Estonian defence minister, the French president’s statement about sending its military to Ukraine “mainly relates to the field of training.” Meanwhile, it is reported that servicemen from all NATO countries are already present in Ukraine, mainly as advisers and instructors.
Earlier in February, Macron held a dialogue with US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to persuade them to change the Western strategy in the war in Ukraine. At that time, he also astonished his allies by announcing the readiness to send NATO troops to help Kyiv. However, other leaders condemned his proposal.
