Emmanuel Macron is “grandstanding again to boost his image” after he refused to rule out putting soldiers in Ukraine, a defence expert tells Daily Express US.
On Monday, the French said: “There is no consensus to officially back any ground troops. That said, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we can to make sure that Russia does not prevail.”
Macron made the comments as he hosted European leaders in Paris to discuss the conflict.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western allies have supplied Ukraine with billions of pounds in military aid. However, Kyiv’s backers have all refrained from sending troops to Ukraine for fear of sparking a full-blown war between Russia and NATO.
Nicholas Drummond, a defence and security analyst, tells the Daily Express US that Macron’s suggestion – for troops to be sent to Ukraine – would be a “serious and dangerous escalation.”
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He said: “I don’t believe France will send troops to Ukraine. Nor NATO. It would be a serious and dangerous escalation. This is Macron grandstanding again to boost his image.
“The French defence industry does business internationally very aggressively and Macron is supporting sales by positioning France as a reliable defence partner. I wish Rishi Sunak did the same in the UK. The Government just doesn’t get behind British defence exports.
“I think NATO now recognises that it is fighting a proxy war against Russia and Putin. We are happy to support Ukraine but there is zero appetite for any direct involvement.
“Ukraine has sustained 30,000 deaths but three times that number in overall casualties. No European country would accept this unless it became unavoidable.
“So I only see NATO troops being used if Putin triggers an Article 5 event. The plan is very much to continue to support Ukraine – inflicting as much damage on the Russian Army and economy as possible while avoiding World War 3. The problem is that we are not doing enough.
“There is a realisation that if we don’t significantly step up our commitment to Ukraine, there is a genuine danger of Russia succeeding. We have to enable Ukraine to inflict a much higher level of attrition without suffering an unacceptable number of casualties. This means artillery of all types. Artillery is how you win wars.”
Conservative MP, Tobias, Ellwood, told Daily Express US that the French President’s comments are “welcome” but “fraught with complications.”
He said: “Few Western leaders have matched our Prime Minister’s level of commitment towards Ukraine so Macron’s comments are welcomed, though fraught with complications.
“I’m sorry my proposal of tasking NATO troops to Ukraine before the invasion was ignored. We blinked.
“So I welcome discussions about how we can better utilise the most powerful military alliance in the world – whose capability has, to date, been benched just because Ukraine is not a member of NATO.”
This comes after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that Ukraine joining NATO is inevitable.
Ukraine has long desired a place in the military alliance, but this is another red line for Putin and Russia.
Stoltenberg said: “President Putin started this war because he wanted to close NATO’s door and deny Ukraine the right to choose its own path. But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before.
“Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, Nato will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours.”
Moscow has previously threatened World War 3 and even nuclear war if Ukraine was to be accepted into NATO.
On Monday, Sweden’s path to join the military alliance was cleared after Hungary finally approved the move.
The Russian embassy in Stockholm labeled Sweden “a legitimate target for Russia’s retaliatory measures” last year over its decision to join the alliance.
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