The Daily Populous Friday March 15th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by lemonde.fr and submitted by pierrepaul

This photograph taken on March 14, 2024, shows a television screen broadcasting France's President Emmanuel Macron in a live interview on French TV channels TF1 and France 2 at the Elysée Presidential Palace in Paris. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Thursday, March 14, his position that sending Western troops into Ukraine should not be ruled out – though he said today's situation doesn't require that. But calling the conflict in Ukraine "existential for our Europe and for France," Macron said anybody advocating "limits" on aid to Ukraine "chooses defeat."

In an interview on French national television, Macron said a Russian victory in Ukraine "would reduce Europe's credibility to zero," and would mean that "we have no security."

Speaking on TF1 and France 2, Macron was asked about the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine, which he publicly raised last month in comments that prompted pushback from other European leaders. "We're not in that situation today," he said, but added that "all these options are possible."

Read more Subscribers only War in Ukraine: Emmanuel Macron's metamorphosis from dove to hawk

Macron said that responsibility for prompting such a move would lie with Moscow – "It wouldn't be us – and said France would not lead an offensive into Ukraine. But he also said, "Today, to have peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak."

'Our objective is that Russia does not win'

He said that the continent's security was "at stake" in the conflict which he said "is existential for our Europe and for France." He added that "if the situation should deteriorate, we would be ready to make sure that Russia never wins that war."

He said there had been "too many limits in our vocabulary" since the Russian invasion in February 2022. "Two years ago we said we would never send tanks. We did. Two years ago, we said we would never send medium-range missiles. We did," he said. "Those who say 'let's not support Ukraine' do not make the choice of peace, they make the choice of defeat," he added.

Read more Subscribers only Macron's call for 'unwavering' support for Kyiv risks isolating him on French political scene

"Today," the French president said, "to have peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak, and so we must look at the situation lucidly, and we must with determination, will and courage, say that we are ready to reach the means to achieve our objective, which is that Russia does not win."

Last month, the French president appeared isolated on the European stage after his remarks at a Paris conference on Ukraine prompted an outcry from other leaders. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in particular, appeared to contradict Macron, saying participants had agreed there will be "no ground troops" on Ukrainian soil sent by European states.

Scholz on Wednesday appeared dismissive of any speculation of frictions between France and Germany, saying he has a "very good personal relationship" with Macron. The French leader is scheduled to meet on Friday with Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin in a summit meant to show unity.

Read more Subscribers only On Ukraine, France and Germany can't agree to speak with one voice

Macron's interview came after France's Assemblée Nationale debated his Ukraine strategy on Tuesday. French lawmakers approved the government's support for Ukraine, including a bilateral security agreement that was signed by Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last month.

Read more The virtues of a debate on Ukraine in the Assemblée Nationale

With the symbolic vote, Macron forced political parties to take a public stance on the conflict as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stretches into its third year. The far-right Rassemblement National (RN), which polls say is ahead of Macron's coalition by a wide margin in the June European elections, abstained, while the radical-left La France Insoumise party voted against.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal this week warned that a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "disaster" for French households' purchasing power because food and energy prices would soar.

Read more Subscribers only French PM accuses far right of being 'pro-Putin' during debate on Ukraine strategy