Macron on possible deployment of troops to Ukraine: We are opening a debate, thinking about support

French President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that his statement about the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine was an "opening of the debate", he said in a comment to Novinky.

When he was asked about the deployment of troops into Ukraine, he said that "nothing can be ruled out."

"We are opening a debate and thinking about everything that can be done to support Ukraine," Macron said.

He noted that the participants of the summit to help Kyiv in Paris agreed on five areas where they can strengthen support: cyber defense, joint production of equipment in Ukraine, security of countries on the border with the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the possibility of assistance on the border with Belarus and demining.

"In addition, I have always clearly understood our framework: we are not at war against the Russian people and we refuse to engage in the logic of escalation," the French leader said.

Earlier, Macron stated that "nothing should be ruled out" in the context of sending NATO ground troops to Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance has no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine.

The Czech Republic and Poland do not consider the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, announced Prime Ministers Petr Fiala and Donald Tusk.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said that their countries will not send troops to Ukraine.

Subsequently, Spain and Italy disagreed with France's proposal to send European ground troops to Ukraine. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular, considers this proposal to be "Macron's idea".