France Will Never Take Initiative When it Comes to Hostilities in Ukraine, Macron Says
© AP Photo / Mohammed Badra
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - In February, Paris and Kiev signed the 10-year security agreement, which includes commitments by France to provide $3.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024. The pact also concerns the supply of modern military equipment to Ukraine compatible with NATO-supplied weapons, and training of Ukrainian soldiers.
France will never take the initiative when it comes to military hostilities in Ukraine, and will never resort to offensive actions, President Emmanuel Macron said.
"We will never take offensive actions, we will never take the initiative," Macron told the France 2 broadcaster, when asked under what conditions French troops can be deployed in Ukraine.
The conflict in Ukraine is an "existential issue" for France and for Europe, Macron added.
The French president also mentioned that the current situation in the conflict zone is "difficult for Ukraine."
Moreover, Macron added that the French defense industry is not ready for a high-intensity conflict, but France is ready to respond to a possible escalation by Russia and "make decisions to ensure that it does not win."
He was asked about his assessment of the state of the French defense industry, which now produces 100 shells a day — "as many as Ukraine uses in a few minutes."
"Our defense industry is not adapted to a high-intensity conflict that does not appear in any of our projections," Macron said.
The French president recalled that he ordered defense companies to ramp up production.
Nevertheless, Macron said that France is ready to respond to a possible escalation by Russia.
"Today is a time of resistance for us. It is the right time to say that if Russia continues escalation, if the situation worsens, we must be prepared - and we will be prepared to make decisions that will ensure that Russia never wins ... We will do everything to achieve our goal," the president said.
The president added that "France is not waging a war against Russia and the Russian people" but supports Ukraine.
"There will be no long-lasting peace if there is no Ukrainian sovereignty and no return to internationally recognized borders. Ukrainians will have to determine its terms. And peace does not mean Ukraine's capitulation," he said.
Macron further said France, as a nuclear power, should not be involved in the escalation.
"First and foremost, our nuclear arsenal ensures the security of the French. But it also gives us the responsibility to never resort to either verbal escalation or military escalation," the president said.
The president also said Russia's victory in the Ukraine conflict would reduce Europe's credibility to zero.
"We will do everything to achieve our goal. If Russia wins, the lives of the French will change. We will no longer have security. The security of the French and Europe is at stake in Ukraine. If Russia wins, it will reduce Europe's credibility to zero," he said.
The president explained that Europe is already experiencing the consequences of the conflict.
"We have felt it in Europe: gas prices, the situation in our economies, the cost of grain, economic destabilization are the consequence of this war," he said.
When asked about the lack of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron said that "it is not personal."
"I am, without a doubt, the president who has talked to him the most. It is not cold, it is not personal. And I do not want to make it personal, it does not make any sense. It is not fiction, it is not a serial novel," he said while recalling that he had several phone conversations with the Russian president at the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.
Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian strikes.
