Alwaght- The French President Emmanuel Macron says all options including deployment of forces to stop Russia in Ukraine could be considered.
The comments are coming as the Ukrainian forces are faltering against the Russian forces in more than one front.
Ukraine last week lost the key city of Avidiivka in Donetsk region. The fall of the city is feared to be a starter for a domino chain of collapse of the Ukrainian regions to the Russian forces amid declining Western aids blamed on Israeli war on Gaza.
Macron had told reporters at a news conference that while he and the other 21 European leaders present did not agree on deploying military personnel, the prospect was discussed openly.
“Nothing should be ruled out,” he said. “We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
The French leader seems far from a European unity on the idea of boots on Ukraine ground as other leaders rule out Western forces in Ukraine.
Immediately after Macron comments, a NATO official told CNN the alliance had “no plans” to deploy combat troops in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended the meeting in Paris on Monday, said that while there was a good debate and detailed discussion on the topic, summit participants were “unanimous” in their opinion against deploying troops.
“What was agreed among ourselves and with each other from the very beginning also applies to the future, namely that there will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or NATO states,” said Scholz.
Also, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said London also does not plan to deploy troops to Ukraine, according to Reuters.
So, for now the European unity of words seems to remain just around arming Ukraine.
Macron said that an alliance will be created to provide medium and long-ranhe missiles to Ukraine to help deter advances the Russian military is making.
Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines say they are already running low on ammunition, which has cost them on the battlefield.
Russia immediately reacted to the Western remarks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that such a deployment in Ukraine would put the West in conflict with Moscow.
“In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability of a conflict," CNN cited Peskov who also said: “These countries must also assess and be aware of this, asking themselves whether this is in their interests, as well as the interests of the citizens of their countries.”
Peskov said that discussing the possibility of sending "certain contingents" from NATO into Ukraine is a "very important new element" and makes a military clash with West inevitable.
