The West does not intend to start war with Russian people and will work to avoid an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.
"We all agree with the fact that we do not want to go to war with the Russian people. We are determined to adhere to the containment of escalation, as we have successfully done since the beginning of the conflict," Macron said at the opening of the conference on support for Ukraine held in Paris.
However, discussing the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, Macron said that "nothing can be ruled out," adding that Ukraine's allies "will do everything to prevent Russia from winning this war."
On Monday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that some EU and NATO states are considering deploying their military forces to Ukraine through bilateral agreements, although in November 2023 he underscored the importance of maintaining a dialogue between Bratislava and Moscow and denied that his country would continue giving military aid to Ukraine.