French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that "Russia threatens the security of the European continent and its values," reiterating his unwillingness to rule out sending troops to Ukraine. In an interview with the Czech portal "Novinky" and the newspaper "Právo" ahead of his visit to Prague on Tuesday, he stated that Europeans should "consider how consistent their strategy is with their declared goals in Ukraine, regarding sending troops from third countries there; nothing is excluded."
He added, "I said nothing is excluded, and every word matters. From my point of view, our democracy needs a strategic awakening because Russia, with its impunity, threatens the security of the European Union, the European continent, and its values." He continued, "The discussion about what Ukraine needs includes areas of cybersecurity, joint production of military equipment in Ukraine, the security of neighboring countries, particularly Moldova, and demining operations."
He noted that "Russia is now trying to make us believe that time is on its side, and on our part, we will continue to do whatever is necessary to thwart these calculations, and our resolve will not waver because our security is at stake. We confirmed this at the Ukraine Support Conference in Paris on February 26, and we are ready to explore available opportunities, including support for the Czech ammunition initiative."
