The messages sent by France, as well as Europeans, are "part of the balance of power" with Russia. At the same time, "we have to defeat Russia without waging war against Russia" is the framework set by French President Emmanuel Macron. French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne said this on Tuesday evening, Le Monde reports, UNN reports.
Details
"We are at a turning point that should encourage us to confront Russia, and we must maintain a balance of power to protect the French, to protect Europeans," Sejourne said in an interview with LCI.
When asked about the statements of Emmanuel Macron, who, in particular, said earlier on Tuesday in Prague to "accept" his recent controversial statements regarding the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine for support, non-combat missions, the head of French diplomacy said: "We have to defeat Russia without waging war against Russia, this is the framework set by the President of the Republic (...) and the framework of cobelligerence should not be reached.
"We have never crossed the stage of cobelligerence and we will not cross it," Sejourne added. "France speaks in a slightly different framework: it is a state that has [nuclear weapons]; I think France can speak to Russia on an equal footing," he continued. "The messages sent in response by France and also by the Europeans are part of the balance of power" with Russia, he said.
"We are convinced that we should continue to support Ukraine," he added. "If Ukraine falls, Russia will probably have inclinations, and if Russia has inclinations, there is a risk of war; the consequences will be cascading, and I don't give too much credit to the European Union (...), this scenario should be avoided," he said.
Addendum
On February 26, during the conclusion of the conference on Ukraine in Paris, Macron said that sending Western troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out. The statement provoked a reaction from Western allies, some of whom spoke out against the idea.