Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credit: Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP 3:23 p.m., February 29, 2024

After his comments on the potential sending of Western troops to Ukrainian soil, Emmanuel Macron affirmed, during the inauguration of the Olympic Village of the Paris Games in Saint-Denis, that each of his words was "weighted" and "measured ".

Statements which received neither the support of many European countries nor that of the United States. 

Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that each of his words on Ukraine was "weighted" and "measured" after his comments on the potential sending of ground troops into the country, which earned him a dismissal from his main allies and a scathing response from Vladimir Putin.

Emmanuel Macron calls for a “start” to ensure the “defeat” of Russia 

“These are sufficiently serious subjects. Each of the words I say on this matter is weighed, thought out and measured,” he declared during the inauguration of the Olympic Village of the Paris Games in Saint-Denis.

However, he refused to make any "geopolitical comments" in this context, judging that it was "not the place" and that "sport must allow unity and appeasement".

Emmanuel Macron on Monday called on Ukraine's allies for a "start" to ensure the "defeat" of Russia, by carrying out faster and more massive deliveries of arms and ammunition.

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War in Ukraine: Putin judges that Western threats create a “real” risk of nuclear conflict

He also broke a taboo by not excluding the sending of Western soldiers to Ukraine, while emphasizing that there was no consensus on the subject.

The Russian president, reacting to these statements, warned the West on Thursday of a "real threat" of nuclear war in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

“They must understand that we too have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory,” insisted Vladimir Putin.

Many European countries, including Germany, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic, as well as the United States, have for their part categorically rejected the idea of ​​sending ground troops.

“Vladimir Putin must know that there are risks for him too,” underlines a French diplomatic source while specifying that it was “not a question of participating in the fighting with Ukraine”.