Support for Ukraine could go beyond arms supplies – France’s top general

3 months ago
3

Russia should not expect the West to limit its support for Ukraine to arms supplies. General Thierry Burkhard, Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, said this, according to AFP.
“The war will end when Russia stops attacking,” Burkhard told reporters after talks in Paris with General Mikael Boden, the commander of the armed forces of new NATO member Sweden.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin “has built his operation on the idea that the West will never go into Ukraine but will simply supply weapons,” Burkhardt said.
“We have to show him that he cannot use this logic to go all the way, because this idea is not correct,” he added.
“The war in Ukraine concerns us because we are involved in its aftermath. Therefore, Europeans must be able to take risks to ensure the security of Europe in the next decade,” the general said.
Despite the controversy surrounding his remarks about the possible deployment of Western troops to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to back down, insisting that his statements were well thought out but also stressing that France would not follow the “logic of escalation” in its relations with Moscow.
Subsequently, commenting on the idea he raised, Macron stressed that if such a scenario were to be implemented, French forces would not launch an offensive against Russia.
“The president’s intention is to let Vladimir Putin know that we are aware of what is at stake in Ukraine,” Burkhardt said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also said France “would be ready to make sure that Russia never wins that war.”
Earlier this month, Macron said there are "no limits" to French support for Ukraine.
Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reacted to his remarks, saying that Moscow “has no more red lines left for France."

Loading comments...