Ukraine meeting: Macron says no to combat troops

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Ukraine meeting: Macron says no to combat troops Michaela Wiegel • 21 million • 3 minutes reading time Emmanuel Macron ruled out a combat deployment of French soldiers on Ukrainian soil to secure a possible ceasefire line shortly before the second informal Ukraine meeting on Wednesday in the Élysée Palace. "France is not preparing to send combat troops," Macron said in an interview. Rather, the deployment of military experts is being considered. Troops could also be sent on a limited scale, but "outside any conflict zone, (...) to strengthen the Ukrainians and show solidarity," said Macron. According to the regional newspaper La Dépêche, Macron said: "We are thinking about security guarantees." These should mainly consist of increased deliveries of weapons and ammunition as well as help with training and maintenance. The question of a military presence in Ukraine will only arise once a ceasefire has been concluded and "in order to permanently protect Ukraine from a new attack," the newspaper Ouest France quoted him as saying. Canada and Romania are now also in Paris In the afternoon, the French president wanted to discuss the next steps with the heads of state and government of Greece, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the three Baltic states in a video conference. The heads of government of the two NATO allies Norway and Canada also wanted to join in. The Romanian interim president Ilie Bolojan was received by Macron for a discussion in the Élysée Palace shortly before the video conference and took part in the conference. Criticism of Macron had been voiced from many EU capitals for inviting only six EU countries and Great Britain to the informal ad hoc summit on Monday. Bolojan's staff had complained particularly loudly. Romania has a 600-kilometer-long land border with Ukraine and is in a strategically important position due to its location on the Black Sea. More than 1,000 French soldiers have been stationed there at the NATO base in Cincu since 2022. Romania is the focus of American criticism. Vice President J.D. Vance has denounced the fact that the election result of the first round of the Romanian presidential elections in December was annulled "on the basis of flimsy suspicions." The focus of the talks on Wednesday should again be the question of what security guarantees NATO allies can provide without the USA. "Everyone considered it important to be able to clarify the role that the United States is willing, directly or indirectly, to play in the security of Ukraine and Europe the day after," said Macron. The American president welcomed the idea of ​​European peacekeepers in a television interview. "I am fully in favor of it. (...) If we have a peace agreement, then it would be a good thing to have troops from Europe," said Donald Trump. Warning about Russia, praise for Trump Macron praised the dialogue between Americans and Russians as "useful," but "a lasting peace cannot be negotiated without Ukraine." Macron said that after the meeting he had conveyed to Trump the Europeans' concern that a simple ceasefire would not bring lasting peace to the conflict. The question of American security for a possible ceasefire was central. "Russia is a nuclear power, which is a key point for European partners." For many EU partners, a mandate from the United Nations was also necessary. Macron also expressed appreciation for Trump's negotiating strategy. The American was creating "strategic ambiguity" for Putin. "Joe Biden said he would never send troops into the field, giving Putin too much insight. The new president uses very firm words and creates uncertainty," Macron said, according to the newspaper Le Parisien. He was ready to speak to Putin if Putin called him. "Russia poses an existential threat to the Europeans," Macron warned. Moscow is already attacking European countries in different ways, said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday on the radio station RTL. "If we turn a blind eye to the threat, the front will continue to shift towards us." Barrot spoke with the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday evening. Rubio assured him that Europe would be included in the negotiations. The question of military security for a ceasefire would only be discussed at the end. "Nobody wants to send troops to Ukraine at the moment," said Barrot. However, it is a matter of not repeating the mistakes made in dealing with Moscow. The Minsk agreements failed because people trusted Moscow too much.