France not preparing to send ground troops to Ukraine – Macron

According to Ukrinform, he shared this in an interview with Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France and other regional media.

“France is not preparing to send ground troops to the front lines to take part in the conflict,” he specified.

However, Macron mentioned that there are other solutions that could help ensure security. First and foremost, he suggests “rearming and reequipping the Ukrainians. Then, sending experts or even troops for a limited period from any conflict zone to support the Ukrainians and show solidarity.”

Macron claims that this is the position France is discussing together with the United Kingdom.

“Another security solution is NATO membership,” he added, noting that the United States and Russia are opposed to this.

As a last possible option, he mentioned the possibility of a peacekeeping operation under the UN mandate.

“We could make a decision within the framework of peace talks to conduct a peacekeeping operation under the UN mandate, which would be positioned along the front lines,” the French president explained.

Additionally, according to Macron, Donald Trump could resume a “useful dialogue” with Russian President Vladimir Putin: “He creates strategic uncertainty for President Putin by using very firm words.”

Finally, Macron stated that he is willing to speak with his Russian counterpart.

“If President Putin calls me, of course, I will pick up the phone. If there is time in the next round of negotiations, I will obviously talk to him again if it is useful for the situation,” he said.

As Ukrinform reported, this Wednesday, France plans a second meeting to discuss Ukraine and European security. This time, they have invited European countries that were not present at the Monday meeting, as well as Canada, a NATO ally. Among the invitees are Norway, the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia), the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden, and Belgium. Some countries will join via video link.