France weighing sending soldiers to Ukraine for strategic border control or airspace protection – PM

French troops may be sent to Ukraine to protect certain borders, to participate in exercises or ground air defense, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said during a speech in the Senate, Public Senat reported on Feb. 28.

He dismissed the possibility of French soldiers directly engaging in frontline battles.

Regarding President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks, Attal noted that the president couldn’t rule out such scenarios due to Russia’s evolving stance toward France and its allies.

Read also: NATO countries consider sending troops to Ukraine, Slovakia opts out – Slovak PM Fico

“The reality is that Russia poses a direct and immediate threat to France on all fronts,” he added.

In the event of Ukraine’s defeat, Attal warned that the conflict front would inevitably shift westward.

Following the Ukraine summit in Paris on Feb. 26, Macron acknowledged that the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine might become necessary in the future, though no agreement has been reached on this matter. Macron also advocated for increased arms supplies to Kyiv.

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné suggested that NATO forces could assist with demining, cyber operations, or weapons production in Ukraine.

Read also: Top Polish defense official dismisses prospect of sending forces to Ukraine, as no such plans exist

Possible deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine: What is known

Before the summit of European leaders in Paris on Feb. 26, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that several NATO and EU member states were discussing the possibility of sending their military to Ukraine based on bilateral agreements. Slovakia will not take such a step but will respect the decisions of countries that agreed to send troops to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron later stated that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future could not be ruled out. However, there is currently no agreement on this issue.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal echoed Macron’s statement regarding the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, emphasizing that Paris would not accept a situation where Russia wins the war.

Polish President Andrzej Duda mentioned that representatives of 28 countries actively discussed the idea of sending troops to Ukraine during a meeting in Paris, but it did not generate much enthusiasm. This issue was the subject of heated debate

Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated that his country ”has no project or idea” to send its military to Ukraine.

The issue of sending troops to Ukraine is not relevant for Sweden, according to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clarified that the Alliance has no plans to send its military to Ukraine, highlighting that allies have been providing unprecedented assistance to Ukraine since 2014.

Read also:

• No ‘enthusiasm’ among European leaders to send troops to Ukraine, Polish president says

• NATO ‘not planning’ to send troops, though European allies might — Stoltenberg

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