Macron Says No Need for West to Intervene If French Troops Attacked in Ukraine - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron has told Western allies there would be no need for NATO or US forces to step into the Ukrainian battlefield if Russia targeted French soldiers deployed in the area, US media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed US officials.

In late February, following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine, Macron said that Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and, although no consensus had been reached in this regard, nothing could be ruled out.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is concerned about possible Russian attacks against any French forces deployed in Ukraine, as such circumstances could lead to France's full involvement in the conflict along with other allies, the report said. However, Macron has assured allies that there was no need for France's allies to intervene, US officials said.

In February, Macron held phone conversations with Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, urging the allies to adopt a position of strategic ambiguity toward Russia that would allow them to keep all military options of their support policy for Ukraine on the table, including the deployment of troops, WSJ reported.

The French president asked allies to abandon their policy of "red lines" toward Russia, leaving Moscow to guess the West's further potential steps, the newspaper reported, adding that this initiative contrasted with Biden's approach to avoid actions that could provoke Moscow and lead to escalation.

The United States and Germany rejected Macron's initiative, saying it risked escalating hostilities, dividing allies and involving NATO on the side of the Ukrainian conflict, WSJ reported, adding that Scholz warned the French leader against making such ideas public.

Following Macron's statements after the Paris-hosted conference, other EU countries rushed to dismiss such plans with the German chancellor saying that NATO had no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine. The Kremlin, in response to Macron’s comments, said that a deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would make a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia inevitable.

In accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an attack on one ally is considered an attack against the entire NATO, which allows for the provision of appropriate assistance to any member when attacked.