Macron doubles down on Ukraine remarks after blowback

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the seriousness of his Monday remarks when he said he would not rule out sending Western troops into Ukraine.

Macron said he carefully chose his words and doubled down on his statement despite the criticism he received in his country and internationally.

“These are sufficiently serious issues; every one of the words that I say on this issue is weighed, thought through and measured,” Macron said Thursday during his visit to the 2024 Olympic Village, according to Politico Europe. 

Earlier this week while hosting 27 European Union nation representatives, the French president said sending troops to help counter Russia’s intensified offensive should not be “ruled out.” 

“There’s no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing can be ruled out,” Macron said. 

Macron’s Monday statement drew criticism and a warning from the Kremlin. 

“In this case, we need to talk not about probability, but about the inevitability [of conflict],” Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, said Tuesday. 

Macron’s remarks were downplayed by French officials. 

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said there are no concessions about potential military operations in Ukraine. 

Other European military superpowers Poland and Germany reiterated they would not be sending troops. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there “will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil who are sent there by European states or NATO states.”

Representatives from Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, and the U.K. also denied the possibility of deploying troops. 

The backtracking came after Russia threatened “military consequences” for Sweden joining NATO after getting approval from Hungary’s parliament.