French President Emmanuel Macron openly discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to help Kyiv win the war against Russia, a potential major escalation to the largest ground war Europe has seen since World War II.
Speaking at a news conference after hosting a summit to discuss Ukraine on Monday, Macron told reporters that while he and the other 21 European leaders present did not agree on deploying military personnel, the prospect was discussed openly.
“Nothing should be ruled out,” he said. “We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
As part of that effort, Macron announced that a new coalition would be created to supply Ukraine with medium-range and long-range missiles.
“We’re at a critical moment in this conflict that requires us to take the initiative,” Macron said.
With $60 billion worth of American funding for Ukraine held up by Republicans in Congress, the burden has shifted to Europe to help arm Ukraine as it attempts to fend off a resurgent Russian military.
Sending in Western troops, however, would be a drastic step, one that was unthinkable when the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion two years ago.
But Macron pointed out that Western democracies have gradually increased their support to levels unthinkable when the war began. He highlighted the example of Germany, which offered helmets and sleeping bags to Kyiv at the outset of the conflict and is now saying more needs to be done to supply the country with missiles and tanks.
“The people that said ‘never ever’ today were the same ones who said never ever planes, never ever long-range missiles, never ever trucks. They said all that two years ago,” he said. “We have to be humble and realize that we (have) always been six to eight months late.”