Macron rejects escalation with Russia after controversial Ukraine remarks

French President Macron takes steps to de-escalate rising tensions with Russia over his controversial remarks on sending troops to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron said they refused to be in the mindset of escalating tensions with Russia after his controversial remarks about sending military forces to Ukraine.

President Macron spoke to the national newspaper Pravo during his visit to the Czech capital Prague for discussions.

In his first comments on the statement that sparked debate among French politicians, “Sending troops to Ukraine is not out of the question,” Macron said.

“We are not in a war against the Russian people and we refuse to enter into the mindset of escalating tensions,” the French president added.

Macron emphasized that he has been “clear” about avoiding escalation with Russia.

Macron is expected to discuss his participation in the initiative led by the Czech Republic to provide Ukraine with ammunition from non-European countries with his Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel.

Earlier, Macron announced that France would participate in the initiative launched by the Czech Republic to purchase hundreds of thousands of tanks and artillery ammunition for Ukraine worldwide, but did not provide information on how much financial support they would provide.

Macron previously hinted at sending troops to Ukraine

Speaking at the closing of the conference on supporting Ukraine held in France on Feb. 26, Macron said: “We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia does not win this war.”

Macron, who said that “everything is possible” to achieve this goal, stated that sending troops to Ukraine should not be “out of the question.”

Macron’s remarks, which took France’s support for Ukraine to a new level, received harsh criticism from the opposition, with both left-wing and right-wing French MPs accusing Macron of warmongering.

Source: Newsroom

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