Leaders of European countries discussed the possibility of sending their ground forces to Ukraine to aid in the fight against the Russians, reported French President Emmanuel Macron after the conclusion of an informal summit in Paris in support of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
“We discussed this. There is no consensus at this stage… to send troops on the ground. Nothing should be excluded. We will do everything we must so that Russia does not win,” Macron emphasized.
Currently, EU countries do not wish to engage in a war with Russia and strive to adhere to the principle of escalation containment. However, Ukraine’s partners promise to do everything to prevent Russia from prevailing.
The French president also stated that Western partners formed a coalition to supply Ukraine with long-range weaponry. “A new coalition would be set up to supply Ukraine with missiles and bombs of medium and long range to carry out deep strikes. We are convinced that Russia’s defeat is necessary for the security and stability in Europe,” emphasized Macron.
Macron also called on EU countries to produce more ammunition. “Over the next ten days, we intend to put all these efforts on the negotiating table because we have approached many European and non-European countries that have ammunition at their disposal,” said the President of France.
Macron emphasized that EU countries understand that Russia is a long-term threat to Europe, so Russia’s aggression against NATO countries in the near future is entirely real. “More or less all the countries represented around this table have said . . . that the common consensus was that we should be ready in a few years’ time for Russia to attack these countries,” said Macron.
The President of France added that no one in Europe wants to go to war with Russia, so EU countries will do everything to contain escalation, including by strengthening support for Ukraine.
Currently, 15 EU countries are ready to support the Czech initiative and purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside of Europe to provide more assistance to the Ukrainian military, announced Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala following the conference.
“The Czech initiative enjoys strong support from several countries. This is a very strong signal to Russia,” said Fiala.
Additionally, Polish President Duda expressed hope that in the near future, partners can jointly provide Ukraine with a significant quantity of ammunition. “This is very important now. This is what Ukraine really needs,” stated Andrzej Duda.
An informal summit to support Ukraine took place in Paris on February 26, at France’s initiative. The meeting was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and prime ministers from around 20 EU countries. Representatives from the United States and the United Kingdom were also present.
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