And yet, it seems Paris didn’t listen — or possibly even care — as Macron raised the possibility publicly despite his allies’ clear response, which was reiterated by leaders gathered in Paris before his press conference. Instead, the French leader wanly noted, “There is no consensus today to send ground troops officially.”
The reaction was thus swift and totally predictable. NATO leaders publicly denounced the idea of sending European or alliance troops to Ukraine, with U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, among others, all saying it wasn’t going to happen.
Their reasoning was clear too. The U.S. and other NATO leaders had ruled out sending troops to Ukraine from the outset of the war — even before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The policy has always been definitive: Yes, to doing everything to help Ukraine defend itself; no, to any direct military involvement. “We will not fight the third world war in Ukraine,” Biden had explained.
So, then why open this Pandora’s box?
One reason might have been to finally respond to growing allied pressure over sending more military aid to Ukraine. Scholz and others had raised this with Macron repeatedly, and the Chancellor even asked Biden to push the point when the two met in Washington in early February.
France’s military support to Ukraine is, indeed, quite small — at least compared to Germany’s. So far, France has committed around €6.8 billion (including a promised €3 billion for 2024), whereas Germany has given €17.7 billion in direct military aid over the past two years. But while Paris argues that its contributions are militarily more significant — including long-range missiles that Berlin has refused to supply, for example — its overall effort is seriously lacking.
And Macron himself did little to dispel the notion that he was stung by German criticism. “Many of the people who say ‘never, never’ today were the same people who said ‘never, never tanks; never, never planes; never, never long-range missiles; never, never this’ two years ago,” Macron said, making a clear dig at Germany. “I remind you that two years ago, many around this table said: ‘We will offer sleeping bags and helmets,’” he added.
But with funding for Ukraine floundering in the U.S. Congress due to internal disagreements, the question of how to best help Ukraine remains a serious and important one. And in order to answer it, the West must consider all options, including ones that have been previously ruled out. However, this should be done quietly, behind closed doors. Dropping rhetorical bombs shows a lack of seriousness — and undermines the cause.