Macron: Western “ground operations” in Ukraine may be necessary
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed, in an interview published by Le Parisien newspaper on Saturday evening, that ground operations in Ukraine by Westerners may be necessary “at some point.”
Macron said in the interview he gave on Friday after his return from Berlin: Where he met the German and Polish leaders: “Perhaps at some point – I do not want that and will not take the initiative – there must be operations on the ground, whatever their form, to confront the Russian forces.” He added: “France’s strength is that we can do this.”
In the German capital, Macron met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a show of unity between the three countries.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron March 15, 2024 (AFP)
Macron refuses to rule out the idea of sending ground forces to Ukraine, and his repeated statements on this subject have raised problems among Paris’s allies, led by Germany, and were met with almost unanimous rejection from the opposition in France, according to Agence France-Presse.
In his interview with Le Parisien, Macron ruled out any disagreement between the French and Germans over this issue. He said: “I wanted to come to Germany very quickly, so that there would be no discussion about strategic differences that might exist. Because it doesn’t exist.
He added: “There was never any disagreement between me and the advisor at all. We have a very strong consensus on the goals and the situation. It is the way of translating it that differs,” highlighting what he called “strategic cultures” in the two countries.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron March 15, 2024 (AFP)
He explained: “Germany has a strategic culture of extreme caution and non-interference, and it keeps its distance from nuclear weapons. This is a completely different model from that of France, which is equipped with nuclear weapons, and which maintains and strengthens a professional army.”
The French President added that he decided not to visit Kiev, and instead headed to Berlin on Friday to hold talks with Schulz and Tusk. He has confirmed that he will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine before mid-March, on a trip that was originally scheduled for February before it was postponed.
Macron stated that his visit to Kiev will take place in the coming weeks. In the interview, the French President also stressed the complementarities in the field of aid that France and Germany can provide.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron March 15, 2024 (dpa)
He said: “Germany spends more than France, and has more space in the budget, and this is an opportunity,” adding, in return, that “France can do things that Germany cannot do.”
Macron commented on Russia’s power, saying: “We must not surrender to intimidation. We are not facing a superpower. Russia is a middle power that possesses nuclear weapons; But its GDP is much less than the GDP of the Europeans, and less than the GDP of Germany and France.”
Paris Olympics
The French President said, in an interview from Paris broadcast on Ukrainian television, and published by a Ukrainian journalist on her YouTube channel yesterday (Saturday), that Russia will be asked to adhere to a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics.
Speaking through a translator, Macron said, according to Reuters: “We demand a ceasefire during the Olympics. They (the Russians) have to do it. This is what has always happened.” “It will be requested,” he added in French.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron March 15, 2024 (dpa)
The translator quoted Macron as saying: “The rule of the host country is to move in line with the Olympic movement.” He continued: “This is a message of peace. We will also follow the decision of the Olympic Committee.”
The International Olympic Committee condemned Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, saying the Russian government violated the Olympic Truce, which aims to harness the power of sport to promote peace and dialogue.
The head of the Russian Olympic Committee said on Thursday that the Russian Olympic Committee will not boycott the Paris Olympics this year, despite the restrictions imposed by the International Olympic Committee on athletes as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine.
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2024-03-17 10:20:08
