On March 14, French President Emmanuel Macron said that it was not the right time to send Western troops to Ukraine, but he did not rule out such a scenario.
He said this in an address to the nation, the text version of which was published by major French media.
Thus, the French leader, when asked about controversial comments on the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, said that there is no certainty that this will be done. He reminded that he was doing everything to achieve peace.
"Everything. The Minsk talks, agreements, negotiations... We are not in a situation where we need to send troops, but we do not rule out this scenario. Two years ago, we said we would not send tanks, and we did it," Le Parisien quoted him as saying.
Macron also noted that in order to have peace, one cannot be weak. There will be no security for the French if there is no peace in Ukraine, and peace is not the capitulation of Ukraine.
If Russia continues to escalate, we need to be prepared and make decisions that will not allow it to win.
"Here we are: a war on European territory... All options are possible, only the Kremlin regime will be responsible. To have peace, you must not be weak. Who could think that President Putin would stop there? If Russia won, the lives of the French would change. The security of France is at stake in Ukraine," Le Monde quoted the French President as saying.
Macron noted that wanting peace does not mean choosing defeat, it means being reliable, strong and ready.
"To say that we will not respond would be a defeat. Russia is the enemy. The Kremlin regime is the enemy," he said, while also asserting that they are not at war with Russia.
In addition, answering a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, he noted that nuclear energy is a security tool.
"Nuclear energy is not a threat tool, it is a security tool," he said, emphasizing the "responsibility" that comes with possessing these weapons.
Earlier we wrote that a military expert's opinion on the possible deployment of foreign military units in Ukraine.