The new members of the European Community believe that the Kremlin may attack one of them this year: that is why the Eastern bloc is so proactive in helping Ukraine.
Macron's position, among other things, gives Paris a chance to regain leadership within the EU, amid Berlin's conservatism, which is oriented toward a slow-moving Washington.
Macron is clearly taking over security leadership in Europe from Biden. His statements following Monday's meeting of European leaders are the first attempt to bring the EU's focus to a 'local' war that has long been burning the heels of most Old World countries. Here are some of the French president's statements:
A new coalition is being formed to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles and ammunition.
The EU will buy shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces outside the community. We are talking about 800,000 rounds of ammunition. This is a great decision, because before that, Paris wanted to 'save money': that is, to direct money to expand production within the EU and eventually send 'Made in EU' shells to Ukraine. This would have meant an additional year of waiting.
The signal lights of French Mirage fighter jets appeared on the horizon. Although the owner of the Elysee Palace said that there were no negotiations on this topic, many insider sources say otherwise.
And the best part: Macron didn't rule out sending Western ground troops to fight the Russian forces.
The French president has shown that he can be a good troll for the Kremlin. After all, his key statements are a beautiful response to the bunker man's calls for ‘peace talks.’
It is worth noting that there is no official talk of NATO soldiers taking part in the war with Russia: this option is very difficult to implement, and is opposed not only by the Kremlin's mental allies in the European community, but also by some of Kyiv's friends, such as Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. No wonder Stoltenberg was quick to say that "no one will send NATO troops to Ukraine.”
Macron was talking specifically about "Western ground forces," adding, "Nothing should be ruled out." In other words, he hinted that several EU countries could strengthen the Ukrainian Armed Forces with their own army units. This is a kind of political greeting to Putin, so that he does not expect the situation at the front to worsen for Ukraine.
Paris, after London, is the second European capital to take a sensitive stance on the situation in Ukraine, ignoring the specter of an 'escalation of the conflict' with Putin. Berlin is missing in this company, but the German government is in the habit of 'bringing down Scholz' and will join in at the most critical moment.
It's too early to draw conclusions like "Europe is waking up." Let's see what happens next.
About the author: Orest Sohar, Obozrevatel editor-in-chief.
The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.