A French official has reiterated that Paris is not ruling out the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine to aid in Kyiv's military effort against Russia.
French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad confirmed this policy during an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zietung. He told the newspaper: "President [Emmanuel] Macron has said on several occasions that we must not exclude anything – and that still applies, in particular, to training missions."
The newspaper then asked him: "[Does this mean that] the French position remains that the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine is not ruled out?" Haddad responded in the affirmative, and reiterated that France was "convinced that Ukraine must be put in a position to defend itself."
"The only country that has chosen to escalate since Feb. 24, 2022, is Russia. [Moscow] has chosen to close the door to diplomacy. That is why President Macron believes that we should stop setting red lines and rely on what we call strategic ambiguity."
According to Newsweek, France and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have trained more than 100,000 Ukrainian troops since the Russia-Ukraine war began. In February, Macron remarked that while there was no consensus on deploying ground troops to Kyiv, "nothing was excluded."
"NATO allies have been trying to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but the presence of 'boots on the ground' in any form could raise fears of escalation," the magazine continued. "However, Moscow has already portrayed its invasion as a proxy war between Russia and the alliance."
Newsweek has contacted the French and Russian foreign ministries, as well as NATO, through email for comment. None of the parties has issued a reply as of press time.
France already sent troops to Ukraine, disguising them as "instructors"
In May, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that Paris could send instructors to Ukraine to train its military. The deployment of instructors to the frontline followed a deal agreed by Gen. Oleksandry Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Syrsky said he had already signed "documents that will allow the first French instructors to visit [Ukrainian] training centers soon and see infrastructure and staff." He added: "I believe that France's determination will encourage other partners to join this ambitious project."
"As a debate rages about whether Western weapons should be allowed for strikes deep inside Russia, Haddad reiterated the French president's position regarding Paris' latest stance on military assistance for Ukraine," Newsweek remarked.
"Macron has urged for a policy shift to allow Kyiv to strike military bases inside Russia with sophisticated long-range weapons. During an address to the United Nations last week, [he] said Russia was 'waging a war of territorial conquest in Ukraine." [Macron] added that it was in 'the common interest of nations to make sure that Ukraine's legitimate rights are restored as quickly as possible, and that a just and lasting peace is built.'"
New NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte voiced strong support for Ukraine, which he described as something at the top of his list of priorities. "We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent [and] democratic nation," said Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands. (Related: Globalist Mark Rutte named as new NATO head.)
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