Macron rules nothing out to help Ukraine win, including ground troops

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said he is not ruling out the deployment of French ground troops in Ukraine.

Macron said nothing is off the table in order to ensure that Russia does not win its war against Ukraine, after the conclusion of a Ukraine aid conference in Paris on Monday.

The meeting, which was organized at short notice, featured top representatives from many of Kiev’s key European backers, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

There was no consensus on the use of ground troops at the meeting of over 20 heads of state and prime ministers, but nothing could be ruled out in terms of future dynamics, Macron said. Each country could decide independently and sovereignly on the deployment of ground troops.

At the meeting, it was decided to form a coalition to supply Ukraine with missiles for attacks far behind Russian lines, said the French president. In the short term, additional ammunition should also be mobilized for Ukraine from its own stocks.

A delivery of French Mirage fighter jets has not yet been decided, but the French military equipment that could help Ukraine is still being examined, said Macron.

“The general realization today is that the security of all of us is at stake,” Macron said at the Élysée Palace at the start of the conference.

As Ukraine’s war enters its third year, Macron said Moscow’s behaviour was becoming more aggressive on the political level and on the front line in Ukraine.

“Russia must not win the war,” Macron emphasized, saying support cannot be allowed to waver and that Ukraine’s backers must intensify efforts.

Increased aid for Ukraine with money and weapons must be mobilized both jointly and at the national level, he said.

“We are in the process of ensuring our security today and tomorrow,” said Macron.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the meeting in Paris via video.

An advisor to Macron said in advance that the consultations in Paris are less about new assurances for arms deliveries and more about increasing the efficiency of the military aid already promised – including the training of Ukrainian soldiers and cyberdefence.

French President Emmanuel Macron receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) at the Elysee Palace to take part in an international conference aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine. Ludovic Marin/AFP/dpa