French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed that he doesn't rule out sending troops to Ukraine if Russia breaks through Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv requests such assistance.
In an interview with The Economist, Macron stated that the possibility of sending troops would "legitimately" arise in such a scenario.
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Macron's comments come in the wake of rising tensions amid concerns that Russia may launch a major new offensive in Ukraine.
Some analysts believe that Russia could be on the verge of launching a major new offensive in Ukraine.
"I'm not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out," said Macron when asked if he stood by comments earlier this year not excluding the sending of Western troops that sent shockwaves around Europe.
He emphasized that if Russia were to escalate its actions, it would force all European leaders to consider sending troops.
"If Russia decided to go further, we will, in any case, all have to ask ourselves this question" of sending troops, describing his refusal to rule out such a move as a "strategic wake-up call for my counterparts," Macron said.
French president described Russia as "a power of regional destabilisation" and a significant threat to European security.
Furthermore, he outlined his strategic objective, stating that Russia cannot be allowed to win in Ukraine.
"I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine," Macron said.
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"If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe.
French leader questioned the security of neighboring countries such as Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania, and others, should Russia achieve victory in Ukraine.
Macron triggered a shockwave in Europe back in February by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Macron had hosted a conference of European leaders on February 26 -- just over two years to the day after Russia invaded Ukraine -- seeking to rally greater support for Kyiv, which faces increasing battlefield challenges and dwindling munition stocks.
He painted a grim picture of Russia under President Vladimir Putin, arguing that even in the last months, there had been a "change of posture" that had seen a hardening of its stance both domestically and in Ukraine.
While there was "no consensus" on the sending of Western ground troops to Ukraine, "nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war," Macron said.
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