President Emmanuel Macron has said European armed forces could ‘respond’ if Russia attacks Ukraine again.
The French leader said the proposed European armed forces, which could possibly be deployed to Ukraine under an eventual peace deal, would lead the response.
His remarks got here after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and before a summit in Paris which can discuss the proposed ‘European’ peacekeeping force.
‘If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies could be under attack after which it’s our usual framework of engagement,’ Macron said.
‘Our soldiers, once they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and reply to the choices of the commander in chief and, in the event that they are in a conflict situation, to answer it.’
Macron has been driving coalition-building efforts for a Ukraine force with UK Prime Sir Minister Keir Starmer, nevertheless it’s still unclear what aid they’re preparing that might contribute towards their goal of an enduring ceasefire.
Macron said the proposed European forces wouldn’t be stationed on the front lines in Ukraine, or be ‘engaged on the primary day opposite Russian forces’.
‘It’s a pacifist approach,’ he said. ‘The one ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, could be the Russians in the event that they decided again to launch an aggression.’
Macron is expecting 31 delegations across the table on Thursday morning on the presidential Elysee Palace – of a coalition to assist Ukraine, with one notable exception – the US.
Donald Trump has shown no public enthusiasm for the coalition’s discussions about potentially sending troops into Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire to assist make peace stick.
The US president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has dismissed the thought of a European deployment and even the necessity for it.
‘It’s a mix of a posture and a pose and a mix of also being simplistic,’ he previously said.
‘Primarily, any contingent consists of combat units, but they’re above all intended to regulate the situation, monitor it, perform joint training, and in addition to stop any desire by Russia to return with renewed waves of aggression,’ Zelensky said.
European officials say that under any peace deal, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian aggression could be Ukraine’s own army.
But a European coalition dedicated to Ukrainian aid appears to be gaining strength.
Earlier this month, Macron called for a ‘united Europe’ to get up to Russian aggression by spending billions more on defence.
In a television address, he said the world was entering a ‘recent era’ and a ‘global conflict’ was already underway.
He said: ‘Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it’s complete, sovereign, French through and thru.
‘But, responding to the historic call of the longer term German Chancellor, I even have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence.’
He said the usage of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only within the hands of the French president.
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