France open to sending troops to Ukraine

Forces Kremlin to over react

On Monday, 25 European leaders gathered in Paris, for a conference aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine.

Chances are, they had never experienced a conference of this nature before in their lives. There was good. There was bad. There was the ugly. There was a whole lot of drama. You name it. The French President brought so many layers. He was the hero and for a little bit he was the villain too.

Arguing that Russia must be defeated, Macron told reporters that “Everything is possible,” including sending Western troops to Ukraine.

French pollster Bruno Jeanbart told Politico that, Macron’s statement was more about “sending a message to diplomatic partners” after facing criticism for “his proximity” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the start of the war.

I think Bruon Jeanbart’s assessment of the French President’s calculations is very accurate.

French President Emmanuel Macron Makes a Ton of Statements

But his actions never managed to scale up to his words

Empty rhetoric?

It does feel very much like that.

Seven months after Putin invaded Ukraine, the French President recommended the world to offer Putin security guarantees. There were collective ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ in diplomatic circles around the world. Then he stirred up a huge controversy during his visit to China last year when he pitched the idea that Europe should not follow the American agenda on Taiwan. He made it obvious that he wanted Europe to have its own China policy.

Fair enough.

But why do it in China, when the same could have been done in Paris or in Brussels.

Macron has shown a penchant to stir the hornets nest and bask in the reaction. None of these statements would have left us feeling empty had the French President showed some desperation in helping Ukraine. That never was the case when the war started. It is still not the case two years into the war.

The French government has barely moved its finger in helping Ukraine win the war.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, France has pledged or donated €640 million in military aid to Ukraine. A cool €250 million less than Estonia’s contribution to Ukraine.

France, a G7 member, with an economy of $2.7 trillion, contributed less than Estonia, with an economy of $33 billion. Macron continues to cover up the lack of effort by stoking controversy.

But a lot of what he said was actually not wrong.

Why should any NATO countries rule out sending troops to Ukraine?

You send it or you don’t send it, that is your choice. But you don’t have to say that in public. It is always an option. Why should Russia have the right to recruit men from Nepal and Cuba for its military? Who gives them the right to decide who fights and who does not?

But Kremlin being Kremlin, they did not waste the opportunity to churn their propaganda machine

“In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability [of a conflict]. That’s how we evaluate it,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary. “These countries must also evaluate and be aware of this, asking themselves whether this corresponds to their interests, as well as the interests of the citizens of their countries,” Peskov added.

Here is the rub.

The Kremlin will say whatever suits their agenda on any given day. There is no need to worry about what they think, what their feelings are, what they tell their enslaved society. It is not our job to worry about them. It is our job to tell our people, what we think, what our feelings are and what we as a society need to do in order to keep our freedom intact.

Ukraine has absolutely no need for European troops to assist in winning the war. They can manage that themselves. What they require are the right weapons at the right time.. Ukraine is aware of this fact. Macron is aware of this fact. Even the Kremlin is aware of this fact. Macron knew that his statement would provoke controversy. Nonetheless, he went with it.

There was a small segment about America

It was bad. It was also true. I did not like it one bit.

This is what he said:

“If Europe and especially, I would say, if each of our member states including France are sovereign, then our future, if we consider that this war determines our future, which I deeply believe…

Because our security as Europeans is at stake. Should we give our future to the American electorate?

My answer is: NO

No matter how they vote.

So, we don’t need to wait for the result.

This was the purpose of today’s meeting and this is why I wanted to hold it now. Let us not wait to find out, what the outcome will be. Let us decide now.

Because the facts are clear: It is our future. It is Europe’s that is at stake. It is upto the Europeans to decide. It is great if others join us. But that must be bonus. We have to be able to continue without them”.

The ‘Respect, Trust and Hope’ ship has been slowly drifting away from the American harbor for some time now. It might have ventured too far to be easily returned. Although there are still numerous actions America could take to retrieve the ship, I have doubts about relying on the current leaders in Washington, D.C. to accomplish this task.

Macron made a strategic shift to his position

Macron’s statements during the conference were largely filled with rhetoric and bombast, with a few exceptions.

Macron pledged to support the Czech plan to purchase artillery shells from non-EU sources, despite France previously opposing such moves. At the time, France had argued that Europe should prioritize internal production of shells rather than seeking external assistance.

‘Buy European’ was supposed to be the French mantra. To be honest, it is a good idea.

A good idea during peace times.

The overwhelming artillery fire power the Russians brought to bear on Ukraine was not because Kremlin stuck to its ‘only Russian’ mantra. But because they squeezed every ounce of help they could get from their allies, North Korea and Iran. An estimated 3 million artillery shells has been procured from North Korea. According to reports, ammunition factories in North Korea are running at full capacity — to help Putin’s army destroy Ukraine.

The least Europe can do under these circumstances is to purchase artillery shells wherever they can be found, while diligently working to bolster their production capacity. France had initially refused to permit sourcing shells outside the EU, but that restriction was lifted on Monday.

With France now on board, Europe is ready to swiftly initiate its worldwide procurement of artillery shells and dispatch them to Ukraine.

French and the Germans got into a fight

I’m beginning to suspect that the French deliberately supplied Ukraine with the long-range SCALP missiles. While the Germans have contributed approximately $17 billion in aid to Ukraine, France has provided only around $1 billion in military and other assistance. The French were likely aware that the Germans would criticize them for their lack of aid. Moreover, knowing Chancellor Scholz’s reluctance to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, the French seized the opportunity to deliver the long-range missiles.

On Monday, the French President announced the creation of long-range missile coalition to support Ukraine. France will work with a group of nations to supply Ukraine with “medium- and long-range missiles and bombs.” He also added that we can expect a “clear answer with a serious agenda” in ten days.

His target was as clear as the day light sky. It was America and Germany. Two nations with the most sophisticated long range missiles. Two administrations gripped with fear that long range weapons will tip the balance of the war decisively in Ukraine’s favor.

Macron dedicated a significant amount of time to criticize the errors made by the German administration under Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“Many of the people who say ‘never, never’ today were the same people who said ‘never, never tanks, never, never planes, never, never long-range missiles, never, never this’ two years ago,” Macron said. In a clear reference to Germany’s widely-ridiculed offer, just before the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to send 5,000 helmets, Macron added: “I remind you that two years ago, many around this table said: ‘We will offer sleeping bags and helmets.’”

Macron was unnecessarily scathing toward the Germans. It seemed as though he had an urge to bully them just to ensure that they wouldn’t point fingers at his own mistakes.

The Scholz administration is not going to send the Taurus missiles

If there is something good, then there has to be something bad. That has been the case with Ukraine for a very long time, and it did not change this week.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz publicly expressed his fears about sending the Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

“We cannot be linked at any point or place to the targets that this system can reach,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin. “This clarity is also necessary. I’m surprised that some people aren’t even moved by it, that they don’t even think about whether what we’re doing could lead to a kind of involvement in war.”

It is total bull shit to be very honest. Scholz is making the case that supplying Taurus missiles will require German presence in Ukraine.

LOL……

Seriously!

I am surprised that he believes we will fall for his trick.

He fears that Ukraine might destroy the Kerch Bridge.

Please do understand what the west is doing here. They will send billions of dollars in aid, but they will not give Ukraine the weapons that will allow them to defeat Putin’s army.

Now, take the opposite seat, and sit in a meeting with Putin in Kremlin. You see this western reluctance to go for a win. What will you tell Putin? To quit the war or find a way to keep going?

Yup. You know the advise you would have given. That is exactly what Putin and his minions are doing.

President Biden and Chancellor Scholz are not prepared to assist Ukraine in winning the war. They simply aim to prevent Ukraine from being defeated. On the other hand, French President Macron has made numerous statements but has done very little to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.

Ukraine’s path to victory does not run through Washington.,D.C, Berlin and Paris.

If they help, it is a bonus. If not, it is absolutely fine.

The only positive outcome from the Monday conference is that Europe can now procure artillery shells from around the world. The Czech President stated that he has already identified 800,000 shells globally, which the EU will now be able to purchase. This move will alleviate a lot of pressure on the frontline.

It may look like a very small step.

But no.

It is not.

It is huge.

Because it will save a lot of Ukrainian lives.