French president raised the prospect of Western troops in Ukraine. What was he thinking?

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French President Emmanuel Macron appeared remoted on the European stage this week after saying the risk of Western troops being despatched to Ukraine couldn’t be dominated out, a remark that prompted an outcry from different leaders.

French officers later sought to make clear Macron’s remarks and tamp down the backlash, whereas insisting on the must ship a transparent sign to Russia that it can’t win in Ukraine.

The Kremlin warned that if NATO sends fight troops, a direct battle between the alliance and Russia could be inevitable. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated such a transfer would danger a worldwide nuclear battle.

Here’s a glance into Macron’s feedback, his technique and what’s at stake.

MACRON’S REMARKS, ALLIES’ REACTION

Macron floated the risk of Western troops serving to in Ukraine whereas talking at a information convention after 20 European heads of state, and different Western officers, met in Paris.

There was no consensus to ship troops in an official, endorsed method on the floor, Macron stated, “but in terms of dynamics, nothing can be ruled out.”

The actual sign Macron was making an attempt to ship stays unclear, however “it wasn’t said by accident,” stated Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic research at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

“It could be a bit of a warning” to Russia or “it could be that this might happen, so people need to prepare for it,” O’Brien stated.

Macron was clearer when talking about European leaders’ evolving attitudes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. “I remind you that two years in the past, many individuals round this desk had been saying: we’re going to supply sleeping luggage and helmets. Today they’re saying: we have to work sooner and more durable to get missiles and tanks.”

Soon after, officials from Germany, Poland and other countries that participated in the Paris meeting sought to distance themselves from Macron’s comments, saying they would not send troops to Ukraine. The head of NATO, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, told The Associated Press there are “no plans for NATO combat troops” on the ground.

FRENCH CLARIFICATION

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the discussion about possibly sending Western troops into Ukraine centered on using them for de-mining and military training operations, away from the front lines — “not sending troops to wage struggle in opposition to Russia.” He stated no consensus emerged from the dialogue.

The overseas minister, Stéphane Séjourné, stated this kind of army presence would not be “crossing the belligerence threshold.”

A French diplomat with information of the Paris talks stated the objective was additionally “to send a signal to President Putin that this is now an option and that he cannot simply count on the fact that none of Ukraine’s partner countries will ever be deployed” there.

The diplomat insisted on anonymity to debate such a delicate difficulty. Macron “didn’t rule out any options for one simple reason: as we’ve seen, there are all sorts of things that were ruled out two years ago but no longer are today,” he stated.

Paris stated talks with allied international locations will proceed at conferences of European overseas and protection ministers to be set at a later date.

MACRON’S EVOLVING VIEWS ON RUSSIA

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Macron initially saved open a line of communication with Putin.

He stated in June 2022 that the Russian president made a “historic error” however that world powers shouldn’t “humiliate Russia, so that when the fighting stops, we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths.” The comment drew robust criticism from Ukraine and plenty of of France’s allies.

Macron final spoke with Putin in September 2022; he’s taken a harder stance publicly ever since.

His feedback on Monday had been clearly supposed to “sound the alarm bell,” stated François Heisbourg, a protection analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies primarily based in London.

“Yet some knock-on effects of the news conference were probably not expected,” Heisbourg said. “It gives the impression that (the French) ventured out as mavericks, with the risk of being misunderstood.”

RUSSIA SEEN AS AN AGGRESSIVE FOE

In presenting his case, Macron raised issues over Russia “getting tougher in recent months.”

He cited the dying of Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, the repression of Russia’s political opposition and the ferocity of fight alongside the entrance line in Ukraine.

The French authorities not too long ago revealed that Russian forces threatened to shoot down a French surveillance plane patrolling in worldwide airspace over the Black Sea. And earlier this month it accused Russia of spreading disinformation throughout Europe.

The hand-wringing over Russia in Europe comes amid worries that the U.S. will dial again support for Ukraine. European officers are additionally involved that former President Donald Trump could possibly be reelected later this yr and doubtlessly change the course of U.S. coverage on the continent.

“Our security as Europeans is at stake,” Macron stated. “Should we delegate our future to American voters? My answer is no, whatever the vote is.”

Whatever Macron’s message was, some analysts say he could have fumbled the supply.

“Macron wants to send a signal of strength to Russia. But for deterrence to work, it must be credible,” said Jana Puglierin, head of Berlin’s European Council on Foreign Relations, an international think tank. “He has unnecessarily introduced a potential for division into NATO.”

“This is no way to promote European unity and strength,” Puglierin stated in a written assertion.

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AP author Danica Kirka in London contributed to the story.

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Follow the AP’s protection of the struggle at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine