Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a wreath-laying ceremony marking the anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier next to the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2022.
Michael Metzel | Sputnik | Reuters
Russia appears to be relishing French President Emmanuel Macron’s gaffe this week, suggesting that NATO countries have discussed the possibility of deploying Western ground troops to Ukrainesaying that such a possibility could not be “ruled out”.
Macron’s proposal was widely — and very publicly — was rejected yesterday by NATO member countries. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among those who denied sending ground troops to Ukraine was an option.
The Kremlin was quick to seize on the comments on Tuesday, warning that any move to put Western boots on the ground in Ukraine would lead to an “inevitable” conflict between NATO and Russia. Since then, the state-run Russian media has been dominated by Russian officials who revel in the apparent division in NATO and Macron’s apparent misunderstanding of NATO’s musical mood.
Dmitry Medvedev, former president and prime minister of Russia, said Macron had suffered a bout of verbal “incontinence” while the chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that Macron’s “loud statements” “scared the people of his country and the leaders of some European states”.
“To maintain his personal power, Macron found nothing better than to start a third world war. His initiatives are becoming dangerous for French citizens.” Volodin said on Telegramcomparing the French president to the French leader and military commander Napoleon Bonaparte, whose invasion of Russia in 1812 is widely recognized as a military disaster for France that resulted in massive casualties.
“Before making such statements, Macron would do well to remember how it ended for Napoleon and his soldiers, more than 600,000 of whom were left lying in the wet ground,” Volodin said, referring to the muddy conditions that prevented the French invasion.
Russia’s foreign ministry claimed on Wednesday that Ukraine is facing a “catastrophic” situation on the front — Russia is currently enjoying a wave of small territorial gains in eastern Ukraine — and that Macron’s statement had not helped the country.
“The situation at the front for the Kiev regime is monstrous, catastrophic,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakhar said.oops on radio station Sputnik. Tass news agency reported.
He argued that NATO countries’ denials that they planned to send ground troops to Ukraine showed that the West had “betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use and betray it”, repeating Moscow’s baseless claims that Western countries are using the Ukraine to destroy Russia.
France was humiliated
Macron’s controversial comments came on Monday night after he hosted European heads of state and representatives from the UK, US and Canada for talks in Paris on how best to help Ukraine.
After the conference, Macron said discussions had also covered the possibility of deploying ground troops, although he said there was no agreement on the issue.
“There is no consensus today to officially, openly and with approval, send troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing should be ruled out,” Macron said at a press conference on Monday night, adding that the allies “will do everything. necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.”
French President Emmanuel Macron awaits the arrivals of guests for a conference in support of Ukraine with European leaders and government representatives on February 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
Chesnot | News Getty Images | Getty Images
French opposition MPs rounded on Macron for the comments, with the leader of the hard-right National Rally party Marine Le Pen declaring to X that “by confirming that the deployment of ground troops is not ruled out, Emmanuel Macron took a further step towards joint belligerence”.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne sought to ease tensions in the French parliament on Tuesday without backing down on Macron’s comments, saying French troops could take on non-combat roles instead of actively fighting in Ukraine.
“We need to consider new actions to support Ukraine. These have to meet very specific needs, I’m thinking in particular of mine clearance, cyber defense, the production of weapons on the ground, on Ukrainian soil,” he told lawmakers, Reuters reported.
“Some of its actions could require a presence on Ukrainian soil, without crossing the threshold of combat. Nothing should be excluded. This was and still is the position of the president of the Republic today”, he said.
France remained increasingly isolated throughout the day on Tuesday, with the White House also distancing itself from Macron’s comments.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday that any decision to deploy ground troops was a “sovereign decision” but that it would not be taken by the US in Ukraine.
When asked about Macron’s comments, Kirby said “well, that’s a sovereign decision that each NATO ally will have to make for itself. [NATO] Secretary General Stoltenberg himself says he had no plans or intentions – certainly under the auspices of NATO – to put troops on the ground. And President Biden has been clear from the beginning of this conflict. There will be no US troops on the ground in a combat role there. In Ukraine.”
A gift for the Kremlin
Russian analysts said Macron’s comments were a gift to the Kremlin and could be taken full advantage of by the Russian propaganda machine at home — and abroad.
The Elysee Palace sought to clarify and defend France’s position on the matter further on Tuesday, with a spokesman saying that “we want to avoid escalation. Let me remind you that we are not at war with the Russian people, but we cannot let it. Victory of Russia in Ukraine.’
Timothy Ash, emerging markets strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, was among those who questioned French foreign policy on anything to do with Russia/Ukraine.
“Literally stupid comments from Macron,” Ash said in emailed comments on Tuesday. “Ukraine doesn’t need Western boots on the ground – it needs Western military equipment to do the job itself of defeating Russia.”
Ash said “the talk of Western boots on the ground is so damaging” as it “plays into Putin’s narrative of NATO expansion in the East and that this is a NATO war with Russia” and “goes along with similar narratives shared in the global South,” referring to countries often described as “developing” economies with which Russia would like to develop ties.
He noted that the comments will likely “be seized upon by Putin’s allies in the GOP [the Republican Party] to delay agreement on military support/funding for Ukraine.”
“What the US public doesn’t want is US boots on the ground in another foreign conflict. But the beauty of Western support for Ukraine so far is that it hasn’t required Western boots on the ground, but through a modest financial outlay has had a devastating impact on Russian military capability,” Ash said.
Read the original at Defence247.gr
