French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe will determine how to strengthen Ukraine's defense and provide it with long-term security guarantees at the upcoming summits.
This was reported by The Guardian , UNNand UNN .
Macron spoke about the upcoming European defense summit in London this Sunday, March 2, and a special European Council summit in early March. He emphasized that at these events, Europe will discuss how best to support Ukraine in its defense, if necessary.
The French president also noted that even if a peace agreement is reached, and only if it is approved by Ukrainians, Europe will have to provide specific security guarantees.
He noted that France and the United Kingdom are already working on concrete solutions to support security on the ground, including the possibility of deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
These issues will be discussed again at the summit in London on Sunday, which will bring together representatives of the countries that participated in the first round of negotiations in Paris, as well as several other countries.
Macron also said that the resumption of “strategic uncertainty” over the deployment of European troops helps peace talks on Ukraine.
He answered a journalist's question about Europe's strategy towards Ukraine. In particular, Macron hinted that it was a mistake to say at the very beginning of the conflict that Europe would never send troops.
Therefore, we were forced to restore this strategic uncertainty
Macron also noted that three years ago, everyone thought that Russia's victory was inevitable. Russia presented it as a special operation for three weeks.
Now, three years later, they have captured only some territories, and we cannot consider this a victory for Russia
He rejected the idea that Europe's strategy has not worked, noting that Russia's defeats, including Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO, prove otherwise.
That is why we must resist and help Ukrainians create the best possible conditions for negotiating a lasting peace
Recall
Macron called on Europeans to be “more united and stronger than ever” and to reject “happy vassalage” to the United States.