On March 14-15, information, according to which French President Emmanuel Macron said that French army units will be stationed in Ukraine was disseminated on Facebook (1, 2,).
The mentioned claim is misleading. In an interview, Macron noted that France is ready to prevent Russia’s victory in Ukraine and did not rule out the possibility of deploying the French army on the territory of Ukraine in the future, although he noted that there is no need for it now.
On March 14, Emmanuel Macron recorded an interview with French TV outlets, where he spoke about the current war in Ukraine, which he called an existential threat, saying that “If the situation should deteriorate, we [France] would be ready to make sure that Russia never wins that war.” The president also noted that “Today, deciding to abstain or vote against support to Ukraine, it’s not choosing peace, it’s choosing defeat” and in case of Russia’s victory, Europe’s reputation will be tarnished, and the continent’s security will face serious problems.
During the interview, the French president did not say that it had been decided to send the French army to Ukraine, although he did not rule out the possibility. On February 27, 2024, he stated that he did not rule out the deployment of European troops in Ukraine in the future. In the March 14 interview, Macron noted that they are not currently in such a situation, and as a result, sending French units is not on the agenda, although “all these options are possible”. Macron refused to explain in which case France would decide to send armed forces to Ukraine and noted that he is not going to talk about these details publicly, as he has sufficient reasons for this. Macron also emphasized that he does not wish for such a development of events. He wants Russia to stop the war, step back, and allow peace.
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