French President Emmanuel Macron answered questions directed to him in a live broadcast on social media. Stating that he will meet with President Donald Trump in the US in the coming days, Macron stated that he will tell Trump that he needs to take a determined stance against Russia. Macron said, "You cannot be weak against Putin. That is not your style, nor is it in your interests. If you are weak against Putin, how can you be reliable against China?"
Macron clarified the issue of sending troops to Ukraine, emphasizing that while it is not on the agenda in the near term, it has not been completely ruled out. “I have not decided to send troops to Ukraine at the moment,” Macron said, adding that once the war ends, the deployment of a peacekeeping force to help ensure peace could be considered.
Drawing attention to the fact that Europe needs to take on a more active role in security policies, Macron said, “We are entering a new era. This requires us to reexamine our defense budget and national priorities.”
Stating that European countries need to increase their war efforts and strengthen their national resilience, Macron also brought up the idea of launching special savings products or national donation campaigns to finance the defense budget.
“Zelenskiy came to power through democratic elections”
Stating that he will hold a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Macron harshly criticized Trump’s use of the term “unelected dictator” towards Zelenskyy. Emphasizing that Zelenskyy came to power through democratic elections, Macron said, “This does not apply to Vladimir Putin, who killed his opponents and has been manipulating elections for a long time.”
