French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the country in the fight against the Russian invasion.
(DW) French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed what he had said last week, that he “fully supports” the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. These statements caused a shockwave throughout Europe. Nobody wants to send their troops to help Ukraine, claiming that they are avoiding the risk of a possible nuclear war.
But this Tuesday (05.03), from Prague, Czech Republic, Emmanuel Macron warned the countries of the West that war has “returned to Europe” and they must gain the courage to face reality. The French leader said: “We are reaching a moment in the history of Europe when we must not be cowards”.
Macron, meanwhile, added that “nobody wants to see the tragedies that lie ahead, nobody wants to see what is at stake, and I believe that our countries are aware of what is happening in Europe, of the fact that war has returned to our territory, of the fact that powers that have become unstoppable are increasing their threat against us with each passing day, attacking us more and more.”
Last week, the French head of state opened the door to sending troops to Ukraine, although he warned that there is no consensus at this stage. The United States and the main European allies have said that they do not intend to send ground troops to Ukraine.
Germany will not put “boots on the ground”
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, said that Germany does not follow Emmanuel Macron’s position: “I have already said that boots on the ground is not an option for the Federal Republic of Germany. It can’t be an option, and it won’t be, to say it very clearly once again. “
Meanwhile, on Tuesday (05.03), the European Union (EU) presented a plan to create a “war economy” worth 1.5 billion euros. The new program invites the 27 EU member states to collectively acquire at least 40% of their defense equipment by 2030, said European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager.
“Defense budgets in all member states are rising sharply, so we must change the way we spend,” she said.
Vestager insists on a common approach: “Since we want to invest more, we must invest better, which means, to a large extent, investing together and investing at European level. This is the message and the set of instruments in the package we are presenting today. In order to allow us to move from crisis response mode to structural defense readiness mode, in a way that closely involves Ukraine.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine has led many European countries to increase defense spending.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***