Faced with opposition this Thursday, Emmanuel Macron once again assumed his position on Ukraine, while Moscow estimated that the French president was increasing Paris’ “involvement” in the conflict.
“We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war,” Emmanuel Macron said on February 26, adding that “there is no consensus today to officially send, assumed and endorsed by ground troops, but [qu’]dynamically, nothing should be excluded.” Breaking the taboo of sending European soldiers to Ukraine, the President of the Republic sparked a real outcry from his allies.
This Thursday, Emmanuel Macron still maintained his position while he received the leaders of the opposition at the Élysée. The boss of the communists, Fabien Roussel, reported on, that the President of the Republic had confirmed that Paris should no longer “have any limits” in its military commitment in Ukraine. “There is no longer a red line. And war as the only horizon,” he further reported. For his part, the rebellious Manuel Bompard expressed his deep concern after this meeting, as did the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella. “The president’s position is that of a proportionate response to Russian toughening, without any escalation,” for its part tempered Emmanuel Macron’s entourage with BFMTV, while Paris’ strategy with regard to kyiv will be at the heart of a debate, Tuesday March 12, in the National Assembly. A debate followed by a vote. On March 13, the Senate must undergo the same exercise.
Once Emmanuel Macron’s change of tone was confirmed, Moscow quickly stepped up to the plate on Thursday, clearly warning Paris. The Kremlin, through its spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, estimated that with his recent statements, the French president was increasing France’s “involvement” in the war. “Mr Macron is convinced of his policy of wanting to inflict a strategic defeat on our country and he continues to increase the level of direct involvement of France,” he precisely declared.