DISINFO: Macron has proposed to escalate the conflict in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Military personnel and intelligence operatives from NATO countries have been present in Ukraine since 2014. With the onset of full-scale military operations in 2022 on Ukrainian territory, numerous Western private military companies (PMCs) have also appeared. Technical specialists from NATO countries have been servicing all complex military equipment since 2022. Now, Emmanuel Macron is proposing to deploy full-fledged ground troops into Ukrainian territory.
RESPONSE
On 26 February 2024, the French president Emmanuel Macron said "no option should be discarded" to bolster military support for Kyiv at a conference attended by leaders of Ukraine's allies, but recognized there was "no consensus".
"There is no consensus today to send troops on the ground in an official, accepted and endorsed manner," Macron said. "But no option should be discarded. We will spare no effort to ensure that Russia does not emerge victorious in this conflict." On the subject of the possible participation of French troops in potential ground operations, Macron assumed a "strategic ambiguity": "I absolutely did not say that France was not in favor of it," he observed.
The aim of such a statement was to discourage Russia from further escalation of the invasion of Ukraine. France like many other states are assisting Ukraine in its self defence.
By contrast, Moscow has used explicit threats, including mention of crossing a “red line” in September 2022 if the United States supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine, as well as implicit threats such as frequent reference to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Russia has also used disinformation campaigns, exercises, and new nuclear force deployments to Belarus to manipulate risks and attempt to weaken Western support for Ukraine.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine violates the UN Charter. Most countries in the world and most developing countries in particular condemn Moscow’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression and demand that Russian troops leave Ukraine.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 2 March 2022 demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” It was adopted with 141 votes in favour of the motion, 5 against and 35 abstentions.
On 12 October 2022, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution condemning Russia’s attempted annexation of Ukraine’s territory. The results were 143 member states in favour, five votes against and 35 abstentions.
On 23 February 2023, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. 141 member states were in favour, 7 against and 32 abstained from voting. Judging by these results, it is evident that most countries support Ukraine and condemn Russia’s aggression.
See a similar case Macron's statements intended to drag France into war with Russia.