Delivery time2024-02-28 21:40
Attempts to change the face of the war in Ukraine… Failed to persuade allies
Former senior diplomat: “France is a loner”
French President Emmanuel Macron
[AP 연합뉴스 자료사진 재판매 및 DB 금지]
(Paris = Yonhap News) Correspondent Song Jin-won = French President Emmanuel Macron found himself isolated in Europe after mentioning the possibility of the West sending troops to Ukraine.
This can be interpreted as France’s intention to take the lead in changing the face of the stalled war in Ukraine, but analysis suggests that it ultimately failed to persuade its European and North American allies.
At a press conference after the international conference on support for Ukraine held at the Elysee Palace in Paris on the 26th (local time), President Macron said, “Nothing has been agreed upon” on the possibility of European countries sending troops to Ukraine, but left room for “nothing should be ruled out.” .
The controversy spread as this statement was interpreted to mean that in order to prevent Russia from winning this war, even sending troops to Ukraine, which is a red line, should be considered.
Since the outbreak of war, Ukraine’s European and North American allies have not deviated from the principle of supporting Ukrainian forces to defend themselves but not directly intervening.
If there is a direct confrontation between the European and Russian armies, there is a high risk that the whole of Europe will be embroiled in war, and in particular, a confrontation may occur between France, the continent’s only nuclear power, and Russia, a nuclear-armed power.
The reason the United States has opposed Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was to avoid a ‘NATO versus Russia’ structure. US President Joe Biden also publicly stated that World War III could start if Ukraine joins NATO too early.
European countries immediately responded to President Macron’s remarks that broke the taboo between allies.
Most European countries that attended the meeting, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, and the Czech Republic, as well as the NATO Secretary General and the United States, came out and dismissed the plan, saying they had no plans to send troops to Ukraine.
The French opposition also fired crossfire at President Macron, saying he “did something foolish.”
nato logo
[AFP 연합뉴스 자료사진]
Local daily Le Parisien analyzed on the 28th that President Macron raised the possibility of sending troops to Russia in order to seek changes in the war in Ukraine, which has entered its third year, and at the same time to show Russian President Vladimir Putin the allies’ resolve to prevent his victory.
Some analysts say that President Macron’s goal was to further solidify France’s position in Europe by claiming to be Ukraine’s most reliable supporter and solver.
Even when President Macron showed signs of Russia invading Ukraine in early February 2022, he personally went to Moscow and met with President Putin across a 6-meter table, saying he would resolve the situation, but ultimately returned empty-handed.
AFP commented on the statement in question, saying, “It will be a turning point for President Macron, who has tried to serve as the top mediator between Ukraine and Russia for several years.”
President Putin and President Macron met in Moscow on February 7, 2022
[AFP 연합뉴스 자료사진]
“He wants to present himself as the leader of the European defense project,” Bertrand Bady, professor emeritus at the Paris School of Political Science, told Le Parisien that this remark appears to have been made in that context.
Aleksandr Gabuyev, director of the Carnegie Center for Russia and Eurasia, told AFP, “This is a remark by President Macron to strengthen his stance,” but added, “It seems like a form of strategic ambiguity to push Putin to the negotiation table.”
However, former senior diplomat Gérard Haro recently painfully pointed out at the French think tank International Relations Institute (IFRI) that “all European countries think that their defense lies with NATO and the U.S. allies,” and that “France is alone.”
However, the daily Le Figaro reported that some argue that Europe should take a new approach to change the situation in the Ukraine war, which has lasted for more than two years.
Some experts say that Europe could consider not directly intervening in the war and instead providing military support to Ukraine to enable it to carry out surgical strikes against the Russian mainland. The question is whether it is possible to provide Ukraine with German-made Taurus missiles with a range of 500 km or French Mirage fighter jets.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his intention not to support the Taurus missile, saying, “It could lead to some kind of intervention in the war.”
France has also drawn a line on supporting Mirage fighter jets.
san@yna.co.kr
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2024/02/28 21:40 Sent
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2024-02-28 12:40:26
