Macron "does not rule out" sending Western troops to Ukraine; French Prime Minister Attal expresses support

He said this following a conference on support for Ukraine, which took place in Paris, the BBC reports.

"We have discussed this. Today, there is no consensus on sending ground troops, but nothing can be ruled out in the future. We will do everything possible to prevent Russia from winning this war," Macron said. "We are convinced that Russia's defeat is necessary for security and stability in Europe.

He noted that all the leaders agree that they do not want to go to war with the "Russian people" and expressed their intention to keep the escalation contained, as they have been doing since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Macron assured that Western countries "intend to do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning" this war: "Everything is possible if it is useful for achieving our goal."

"Together, we must make sure that Putin cannot destroy our achievements and spread his aggression to other countries," the French president added.

He also commented on media reports about the possible delivery of French Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine and said that Paris is not currently negotiating on this issue.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal supported Macron, saying that "nothing can be ruled out" when it comes to sending Western troops to Ukraine, RFI reports.

On the sidelines of the agricultural fair, Attal recalled that two years ago, many countries "ruled out the possibility of sending weapons," including defense weapons, to Ukraine.

"Today we are sending long-range missiles to support Ukrainians in the face of this aggression," Attal said.

The French prime minister noted that "nothing can be ruled out in the war" being waged "in the heart of Europe," including the deployment of ground troops, as proposed by Emmanuel Macron the day before.

• On February 26, about 20 European leaders met in Paris to discuss the threats posed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an address at the meeting.
• On February 26, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that some NATO and EU member states were allegedly discussing the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine after signing bilateral agreements with Kyiv.
• Macron also announced that partner and allied countries would create a coalition to supply Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles.