HIt was a violation of the taboo that overshadowed the Ukraine aid conference in February: French President Emmanuel Macron stated openly that he did not explicitly rule out the use of Western ground forces in Ukraine. He explained that the Europeans do not agree on this issue, again, especially Paris and Berlin.
In a statement published today, Thursday Interview with The Economist magazine Macron has reignited the debate. “If the Russians penetrate the front lines and if Ukraine asks for it — which it has not done so far — then we will rightly have to ask ourselves that question,” Macron said of the deployment of ground forces. France is a country that has sent its forces several times at the request of other sovereign states, for example in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region.
Macron continued that ruling something out in advance means not learning any lessons from the past two years. “At the NATO summit in the summer of 2022, we all ruled out the delivery of tanks, deep-sea missiles and aircraft. We are all doing this now, so it would be wrong to leave out the rest.
Macron said: “I do not rule out anything because we are facing those who do not rule anything out either,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He continued: “Our credibility also depends on a certain ability to deter by not revealing what we will or will not do.” Russia’s aggressive reaction to his statements about sending Western ground forces showed that this position was already having an impact.
There was immediate reaction from Hungary on Thursday. “If a NATO member uses ground forces (in Ukraine), this will be a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia and thus a third world war,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó told LCI radio.
The strategic ambiguity contradicts Schulz’s policy in dealing with Ukraine
For Macron, the potential deployment of ground forces is an expression of strategic ambiguity. This approach almost means that you don’t let anyone see your papers, you don’t exclude anything, and you don’t draw any red lines. This contradicts the Ukraine policy pursued by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the federal government. Schulz justified his negative stance on the deployment of long-range Taurus cruise missiles by saying that the use of Taurus missiles would not be possible except with the participation of German soldiers. The federal government also details the support Ukraine has received since the outbreak of war.
Given these different schools of thought between Berlin and Paris, it is not surprising that Macron openly praised the other countries in an interview with The Economist. “Today I welcome the very strong commitment, especially from Canadians and Americans, along with the British and members of the European Union,” Macron said, referring to the announcements made by the heads of state and government at the pro-Ukrainian conference on February 26. Grant.
Together they decided to produce in Ukraine as well, train soldiers in Ukraine, better protect the borders with Belarus and Moldova, as well as carry out maintenance on Ukrainian territory. Macron said that there is also a new alliance to supply medium-range missiles, without specifying this point. It is known that the United States is now supplying Ukraine with ATACMS missiles that can fly up to 300 kilometers. According to the international definition, medium-range missiles have a range of at least 1,000 kilometers.
Much of the interview revolves around ideas about Europe’s „strategic autonomy.” Seven years ago, Macron first coined the term in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris. With the war in Ukraine, Berlin and other capitals also realized that Europe must take care of its own security – including nuclear deterrence.
“Deterrence is the essence of sovereignty,” Macron told The Economist. He therefore welcomes considerations from Germany on the creation of a European missile defense shield, which France has not yet joined, or from Poland on the deployment of NATO nuclear weapons in the country. Macron stressed: “We Europeans must sit at the table to create a coherent framework.” The goal is to build a security guarantee for every European country. Non-EU member states, such as Great Britain and Norway, should also be taken into account.
Macron on China’s economic policy: „We did not want to see that”
Macron also shared his thoughts on China. President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Paris on Monday and Tuesday. Macron said he would persuade Xi to support an „Olympic ceasefire” during the Summer Olympics in Paris. The United Nations accepted a similar request from France in November.
“It is in our interest to ensure China’s commitment to the stability of the international system,” Macron said. Russia as a destabilizing force, the Middle East sliding into chaos, or Iran capable of equipping itself with nuclear weapons – none of this is in China’s interest today. „It is therefore necessary to work with China to achieve peace.”
But when it comes to economic policy, Macron will likely try to put some pressure on Xi. The EU Commission is currently conducting a formal anti-subsidy investigation because China appears to be pushing excess capacity of subsidized electric vehicles into the European market. The German auto industry in particular is critical of potentially punitive tariffs – including retroactive ones – because it fears retaliation in China.
The Americans have stopped trying to hold China to the rules of international trade. “They responded themselves,” Macron said, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act, a massive support package from US President Joe Biden. “We Europeans did not want to see that. This is a big mistake,” Macron said. He again called for Europe to also use subsidies to build its champions in electric mobility, wind energy and artificial intelligence.
Macron talks about a deal with Merkel
Europe considered itself an open market and lived accordingly. We believed that the correct strategy to retain people strategically and geopolitically was trade. “Russia has shown us the opposite,” Macron said.
He referred to the agreement he concluded with Angela Merkel in 2018. There was an agreement with Chancellor Angela Merkel at the time, in which he abandoned his blockade against Nord Stream 2, and Merkel abandoned her blockade of nuclear energy. In 2021, Merkel agreed to classify nuclear energy as a green technology at the European Union level.
Last week, Macron painted a bleak vision for Europe in a speech at the Sorbonne. He added: „Europe could die.” A similar tone was used in The Economist, albeit less decisively.
“If we Europeans want to have any impact in the world, we have to be more creative and ambitious than others, because we are missing two fundamental things. We don’t have the demographics and we don’t have the energy,” Macron said. “We have to redouble our efforts. We have to double our ambitions. Europeans are richer than they think, but they have not used their capital wisely. “There is reason for optimism as we move forward together.”
