French President Emmanuel Macron once again defended sending Western ground troops to Ukraine, in an interview published on Thursday (2) by the British magazine The Economist. According to him, this is a question “that can be asked” if Moscow goes “beyond the front lines” and Ukraine requests direct intervention, “which is not the case today”.
RFI – “Leaving this option aside means that we haven’t learned the lessons of the last two years,” said Macron. At the start of the war, in February 2022, NATO countries ruled out sending tanks and planes to Ukraine, but changed their minds as the conflict progressed, he said.
Macron says that Russia has entered into a “logic of total war and that is why it must be prevented from winning in Ukraine. Otherwise, “there will be no more security in Europe”. His position is part of what he calls “Europe’s military credibility”.
At the end of February, the French head of state created controversy when he said that sending Western troops to Ukraine should “not be ruled out” in the future. According to him, this represented “a rescue from strategic ambiguity” in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But following his statements, most European countries and the United States did not align themselves with the French president. “As I said, I don’t rule anything out. We’re dealing with someone who doesn’t rule anything out,” he told The Economist, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We probably hesitate too much about the limits of our action, disregarding the fact that Russia has no more limits and is the aggressor,” he said.
“I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine. If Russia wins in Ukraine, we will no longer have security in Europe. Who can say that Russia will stop there? That there will be security for the other neighboring countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and many others?” he asks.
“And behind that, what credibility will there be for the Europeans who would have spent billions and said that it was the survival of the continent that was at stake and didn’t provide the means to stop Russia? So, yes, we shouldn’t rule anything out,” he insisted.
European elections
During the interview, Emmanuel Macron also warned of the rise of “nationalists” in Europe, five weeks away from the European elections. “The National Meeting wanted to leave Europe, the euro, everything. Now it has shut up and is reaping the dividends of Europe,” said the French president in reference to the far-right party led by former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
“In a way, it’s as if we were saying that it’s okay to give the management of the bank to a bunch of thieves,” he added. “Giving the keys to Europe to these people means that the continent will never become a great power.”
According to Macron, when nationalist movements gain strength, “they take Europe hostage”. He called on voters to “wake up”. A poll by the Ipsos Institute, published on Monday (30), showed that Macron’s party, “Renaissance”, has 17% of voting intentions against 32% for the far-right party.
“All European nationalists are hidden supporters of Brexit,” he said. According to the French president, “the best way to build together is to have as few nationalists as possible”.
Relations with China
The French president also spoke about relations with China. “We have to be very pragmatic and look at this issue from the perspective of our strategic interests,” said the French head of state, when asked about opening up the European market to China.
“This will be one of my main objectives when I receive President Xi Jinping. We must do everything possible to involve China in global issues and have an exchange on our economic relations, which are based on reciprocity,” added Macron, who will receive the Chinese president on May 6 and 7.
The French leader cited the example of Chinese electric cars, which he said are “taxed at 10%” on the European market, while their production is “massively supported” by the Chinese executive.
European electric vehicles, on the other hand, are subject to European rules that limit aid to their producers, he said, and are “taxed at 15%” on the Chinese market.
“Today we must behave respectfully towards China in terms of trade, but defending our interests, reciprocity and national security,” insisted Macron, who says he supports the investigations opened by the European Commission into electric vehicles, photovoltaics and wind power involving Chinese subsidies suspected of distorting competition.
“We mustn’t forget national security issues,” he stressed. “There are many sectors in which China requires producers to be Chinese, because they are very sensitive. Well, we Europeans should be able to do the same.”
Xi Jinping’s state visit aims to celebrate 60 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. This will be the start of his first European tour since the Covid-19 pandemic. The war in Ukraine and other issues should also be on the agenda of Franco-Chinese discussions.
“Our interest is to ensure that China contributes to the stability of the international order. It is not in China’s interest today to have a Russia that destabilizes that order, or to have an Iran that can acquire nuclear weapons, or a Middle East that is plunging into a form of chaos. So we have to work with China to build peace,” Macron concluded.
With information from AFP *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI team ***