Macron once more emphasizes the possibility of ground operations in Ukraine in the future

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested in an interview published on Saturday, March 16, that there might come a point where Western countries would need to consider ground operations in Ukraine. This statement comes after Macron’s previous refusal to rule out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, which drew criticism from Berlin and other European partners.

While Macron hasn’t backed away from his stance, he emphasized that Western allies wouldn’t take the lead in initiating such actions. “Maybe at some point – I don’t want it, I won’t take the initiative – we will have to have operations on the ground, whatever they may be, to counter the Russian forces,” Macron stated in an interview with Le Parisien conducted on Friday. He added, “France’s strength is that we can do it.”

Differences regarding the potential for ground operations and the supply of long-range missiles to Kyiv have strained cooperation among allies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed frustration over Macron’s earlier comments about not ruling out sending troops to Ukraine and his remarks urging allies not to be “cowardly.”

Macron convened with his German and Polish counterparts in Berlin on Friday to demonstrate solidarity with Kyiv. Following the meeting, Macron stated that the three countries forming the Weimar Triangle were “united” in their objective to “never let Russia win and to support the Ukrainian people until the end.”