Ukraine currently has the largest army in Europe, but the Europeans will still send their peacekeepers as a deterrent to Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on March 26.
Points of attention
- French President Macron supports sending French peacekeepers to Ukraine as a deterrent force against Russian aggression.
- Macron emphasizes the importance of strengthening Ukraine's army and sovereignty with external support.
- The deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine aims to provide training, logistics, and serve as a deterrent signal to Russia.
The Ukrainian army is the vanguard of all of Europe — Macron
Macron promised to do everything necessary to support Ukraine.
We will work today to strengthen this army, so that the army is a powerful, deterrent force for the aggressor. We will conduct military planning, programming, training and support, because the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be the vanguard of our deterrent force.
Emmanuel Macron
President of France
He also supported the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine. According to Macron, the deterrent forces would be stationed at military bases in Ukraine in the rear areas.
They will not be on the front line, and they will not be on the first line of contact, but they will be forces that will be on Ukrainian soil, and they will be significant deterrent forces.
According to the French president, peacekeepers can train Ukrainian military personnel, provide logistics, and will also serve as a signal to the Kremlin.
This is a signal that if there is a new attack against Ukraine, not only the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be attacked, but also these forces, our deployed contingent. And when our contingent in such a situation finds itself in a direct conflict, it receives instructions directly from the general staffs of its countries. And therefore we will act clearly then, we will not be at the front now, but we will be the guarantors standing on Ukrainian soil, this is a pacifist approach. And the only one who can plunge this whole situation into conflict is Russia, if it again decides to launch a new aggression.
