UPDATE: Tuesday, Feb 27, 2024 · 6:05:47 AM +00:00
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Irontortoise
Some additional details from the Guardian tonight:
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Macron warned: “There is a change in Russia’s stance. It is striving to take on further territory and it has its eyes not just on Ukraine but on many other countries as well, so Russia is presenting a greater danger.”
Among those present at the meeting were the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the UK foreign secretary, Lord Cameron, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte. Relatively junior officials attended from the US and Canada.
French officials have become worried there has been no single galvanising western force responding to Vladimir Putin putting his economy on such an effective war footing, and insufficiently clear practical responses had emerged from the west.
He said the meeting, called in haste by Macron in the wake of the Ukrainian frontline starting to crumble, had agreed to focus on five key action areas: cyber defence, joint production of military weapons and ammunition in Ukraine, defence of countries directly threatened by Russian offensives such as Moldova, greater military protection for Ukraine on its border with Russian-backed Belarus, and the demining of Ukraine. He also announced a new coalition to provide long and medium-range strike missile capability.
Insisting Russia’s defeat is absolutely essential for peace and security in Europe, he said it was necessary for Europe to move from words into action so clear decisions are made to build a European defence pillar independent of America.
This was originally broken by Putin’s puppet in Slovakia, PM Fico:
(Reuters) -Several NATO and European Union members are considering sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday.
Fico, who has long opposed military supplies to Ukraine and has taken a position seen by some critics as pro-Russian, offered no details and other European leaders did not immediately comment on his remarks.
It seems French President Macron is the driving force behind this revolutionary proposal, with an assist from Poland. From Business Insider tonight:
European leaders discussed the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine during a conference this week just days after the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after the Monday meeting that the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine could not "be ruled out."
Representatives at the meeting did not reach consensus about the question of putting troops on the ground in Ukraine, Macron said, though he added that "we cannot exclude anything," according to CNN.
The meeting in Paris this week included representatives of the European Union's 27 member countries, including 21 heads of state.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda told The Associated Press that the most intense conversation during the meeting centered around whether Western troops could be sent to Ukraine.
Ukraine's Western allies have supplied the country with weapons and tactical assistance since the war began, but the deployment of troops on the ground would mark a major escalation in the war.
"We will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war," Macron said after the discussions, according to reports.
Macron didn't offer additional details about which countries broached the topic of sending troops to Ukraine.
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The French president on Monday also announced a new coalition to supply long-range missiles and bombs to Ukraine and said EU leaders are stepping up their commitment to providing munitions as well.
Meanwhile, additional US aid for Ukraine that passed in the Senate has been stalled in the US House of Representatives.
So, is American political paralysis finally prodding Europe to start thinking seriously about how best to confront the growing Russian threat on their doorstep, particularly if the worst were to happen in our November election?