The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, warned countries allied with Ukraine not to be “cowardly” in supporting the country in the fight against the Russian invasion.
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 sent shockwaves across Europe. It’s just that no one 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 Western countries that war “has returned to Europe” and they must gain the courage to face reality. The French leader stated: “We are reaching a moment in the history of Europe when we must not be cowards”.
Macron, however, adds that “no one wants to see the tragedies that are coming, no one 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 , 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 key European allies have said they do not intend to send ground troops to Ukraine.
Germany will not put “boots on the ground”
Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister, said that Germany does not follow Emmanuel Macron’s position: “I have already said that boots on the ground are not an option for the Federal Republic of Germany. It cannot be an option, and it will not be, to say it very clearly once again. “
Meanwhile, this Tuesday (05.03), the European Union (EU) presented a plan to create a “war economy” valued at 1.5 billion euros. The new program calls on the EU’s 27 member states to collectively acquire at least 40% of their defense equipment by 2030, European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said.
“Defense budgets in all Member States are increasing sharply, so we must change the way we spend”, he explains.
Vestager insists on a common approach: “Since we want to invest more, we must invest better, which largely means investing together and investing at European level. This is the message and the set of instruments of the package we present 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.