French President: Russia Cannot Win in Ukraine. Europe's Survival at Stake
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that preventing Russia from winning the war is a strategic security goal, and under certain circumstances, he does not rule out sending European ground troops to Ukraine.
"If the Russians broke through the front line, if there was a request from Ukraine - which there is not today - we would legitimately have to ask ourselves the question. So I think that to rule it out a priori means not learning the lessons of the last two years," Macron said in an interview with The Economist.
The French President stressed that if Russia wins the war, there will be no more security in Europe.
"I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine. If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe. Who can pretend that Russia will stop there? What security will there be for other neighbouring countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and others? And what trust would we have in Europeans who would spend billions, say that the continent's survival is at stake, and not give themselves the means to stop Russia? So, yes, we should not rule anything out, because our goal is to ensure that Russia can never win in Ukraine," the French president said.
Regarding France's capabilities, Macron noted that several thousand French troops had recently been deployed to the Sahel to fight terrorism, and this was done "at the request of sovereign states".
In his view, any development cannot be ruled out, because "we are facing someone who does not rule anything out," Macron said, referring to Putin.