PRAGUE (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said it was time for Ukraine’s allies to step up, stressing now was not the time to be cowardly.
“We are certainly approaching a moment in our Europe where it will be appropriate not to be a coward,” Macron told French expats living in Prague.
Macron faced a backlash from many Western allies after he openly discussed the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine at a Paris-based conference on Ukraine on Feb. 26.
In a reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Macron said on Tuesday that France and the Czech Republic were “well aware that war is back on our soil (in Europe), that some powers which have become unstoppable are extending every day their threat of attacking us even more, and that we will have to live up to history and the courage that it requires.”
Macron did not elaborate on this.
Macron’s Feb. 26 comments at a late-night news conference, after he hosted a meeting of Western leaders to rally support for Ukraine, fitted with his reputation as a diplomatic disruptor who likes to break taboos and challenge conventional thinking.
French officials were later sent out to explain that Macron had wanted to stimulate debate and that ideas under discussion involved non-combat troops in roles such as demining, border protection or training Ukrainian forces.
During his Prague visit, Macron is also expected to discuss support for plans announced last month by the Czech Republic, backed by Canada, Denmark and others, to finance the rapid purchase of hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds from third countries to dispatch to Ukraine.
(Writing by Ingrid Melander, Editing by William Maclean)
Comments