French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his country is hoping to avoid direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, but warned that intervention may be necessary to deter Russia from advancing too far.
In a video posted on X over the weekend the French leader said The European Union “would lose all credibility and security” if Russia were to prevail, when responding to a question about whether France was “going to go to war.”
RT reports: the French leader argued:“Our own future and our security is at stake in Ukraine,” stressing that in addition to delivering more military equipment to Kiev, EU nations must be “ready to act” if “the Russians are going too far.”
Est-ce que nous allons partir en guerre ?
Il s’agit seulement de dire :
Si vous allez trop loin et que vous menacez les intérêts de la France et la sécurité de l’Europe, alors nous n’excluons rien. pic.twitter.com/OiRzczr1Lh
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 11, 2024
“So no, I hope with all my might that we won’t have to go to war,” he said, insisting that France is a “peace power.” However, Paris needs to continue to arm itself in order to “protect peace,” Macron continued, stressing that intervention must remain an option if the country’s interests are threatened.
“We have to be dissuasive and credible towards our adversaries sometimes by telling them: ‘If you go too far and if you threaten our interests, my own security, then I do not rule out intervening’,” he said.
Macron’s comments echoed his previous non-committal statements on a potential deployment of troops in Ukraine. In February, the French President refused to rule out the prospect of NATO boots on the ground, claiming that the EU’s credibility “will be reduced to zero” if Ukraine is defeated. A few months later he urged EU nations to boost their military spending and arms production to reduce dependence on Washington.
