President Emmanuel Macron has said European armed forces could ‘respond’ if Russia attacks Ukraine again.
The French leader said the proposed European armed forces, which could be deployed to Ukraine under an eventual peace deal, would lead the response.
His remarks came after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and before a summit in Paris which will discuss the proposed ‘European’ peacekeeping force.
‘If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,’ Macron said.
‘Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.’
Macron has been driving coalition-building efforts for a Ukraine force with UK Prime Sir Minister Keir Starmer, but it’s still unclear what aid they are preparing that could contribute towards their goal of a lasting ceasefire.
Macron said the proposed European forces would not be stationed on the front lines in Ukraine, or be ‘engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces’.
‘It’s a pacifist approach,’ he said. ‘The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression.’
Macron is expecting 31 delegations around the table on Thursday morning at the presidential Elysee Palace – of a coalition to help Ukraine, with one notable exception – the US.
Donald Trump has shown no public enthusiasm for the coalition’s discussions about potentially sending troops into Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire to help make peace stick.
The US president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has dismissed the idea of a European deployment or even the need for it.
‘It’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic,’ he previously said.
‘Primarily, any contingent consists of combat units, but they are above all intended to control the situation, monitor it, carry out joint training, and also to prevent any desire by Russia to return with renewed waves of aggression,’ Zelensky said.
European officials say that under any peace deal, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian aggression would be Ukraine’s own army.
But a European coalition dedicated to Ukrainian aid appears to be gaining strength.
Earlier this month, Macron called for a ‘united Europe’ to stand up to Russian aggression by spending billions more on defence.
In a television address, he said the world was entering a ‘new era’ and a ‘global conflict’ was already underway.
He said: ‘Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it’s complete, sovereign, French through and through.
‘But, responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence.’
He said the use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.
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