French President Emmanuel Macron said European countries can send their military to Ukraine without agreement with Moscow. In an interview with Le Parisien, he stressed that this decision depends solely on Kiev, not the Kremlin.
"Ukraine is a sovereign state, and if it invites allied troops to its territory, it is not a matter for Russia to decide whether to agree or not," the French leader said.
Macron reported that France and the United Kingdom finalized the plan of placement of military in the key cities of Ukraine - Kiev, Odessa and Lviv. According to him, several countries have already expressed interest in this project. Macron also commented on the initiative of a temporary 30-day truce proposed by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “This is a stage that shifts pressure on Russia. But when the Kremlin states that the ceasefire will give a break to the Ukrainian military, he actually recognizes his intentions to continue aggression, ”Macron said, hinting at the potential threat of attack on other countries. The French president added that although Trump is often unpredictable in his decisions, Paris seeks to keep in touch with him and reduce uncertainty in international relations. France continues to supply military assistance to Ukraine. After the Ukrainians have successfully knocked down a Russian rocket with the Miraage 2000 fighter, the macron did not exclude the transfer of additional aircraft.
Ukraine also invited remotely controlled missiles and drones that are now being considered. Paris tries to reduce Europe's dependence on American weapons. Macron urged European countries to pay attention to French developments: instead of Patriot-SAMP/T (Franco-Italian production) system. Instead of F-35-Rafale fighters. According to him, the French defense sector has already increased production significantly, and now they want to apply a similar approach to aircraft and other military equipment.
Since 2022, the French defense industry has significantly increased production. For example, the production of Caesar SAU, which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, grew from 10 units a year in 2021 to 82 in 2024. Paris now wants to apply this approach to other models of military equipment to strengthen Europe in the field of defense.
