French President Emmanuel Macron warns against showing weakness to Russia but rules out sending French youth to fight in the Ukraine war.
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France must not be “weak” in the face of the Russian threat. He emphasised that the country has no intention of “sending our young people” to fight in the Ukraine war.
“We would be wrong to show weakness in the face of this threat,” Macron told RTL radio.
“If we want to protect ourselves, we French — which is my sole concern — we must demonstrate that we are not weak against the power that threatens us the most.”
Macron announced he would reveal a “transformation of national service into a new form” on Thursday.
A source familiar with the matter said the plan involves training 2,000 to 3,000 people in the first year.
The program aims to increase volunteer numbers to 50,000 per year over time.
Macron stressed this was separate from any deployment to Ukraine.
“It is absolutely necessary, at least immediately, to dispel any confused idea suggesting that we are going to send our young people to Ukraine,” he said.
The president was responding to recent comments by France’s top general that caused alarm.
Macron said the general’s warning that France must be ready to “lose its children” had been “deformed” and “taken out of context”.
“Soldiers who sign up make sacrifices, but to tell all French people that they are going to be sacrificed, that makes no sense,” he added.
The French leader spoke ahead of a video call between the 30 countries of the “coalition of the willing” supporting Kyiv.
This coalition aims to send a multinational force to deter further Russian attacks if the war ends in a ceasefire.
