French President Emmanuel Macron sent shockwaves across Europe after suggesting everything, including sending ground troops, was on the table in Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Macron had hosted a conference of European leaders Monday – just over two years to the day after Russia invaded Ukraine – seeking to rally greater support for Kyiv, which faces increasing battlefield challenges and dwindling munition stocks.
He painted a grim picture of Russia under President Vladimir Putin, arguing there had been a "change of posture" even in the last months that had seen a hardening of its stance both domestically and in Ukraine.
"Nothing can be excluded to pursue our objective: Russia cannot and must not win this war," Macron said after the conference gathering leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda that ended with a midnight press conference.
While there was "no consensus" on the sending of Western ground troops to Ukraine, "nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war," Macron added.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov offered a muted initial reaction on Tuesday, saying that sending Western troops to Ukraine was "absolutely not in the interests of these countries, they should be aware of this."
Macron had refused to say more about France's position, citing the need for "strategic ambiguity" but saying the issue was mentioned, "among the options."
"We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe," Macron said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, accused by critics of being too cozy with Moscow, said after the meeting that there was disunity on the issue at the meeting.
"There are countries that are ready to send their own soldiers to Ukraine, there are countries that say never – Slovakia is among them – and there are countries that say that this proposal should be considered," he said.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, which is set to join NATO, poured initial cold water on the idea, saying "it's not on the cards at all for the moment."
"For the moment, we're busy sending advanced (military) equipment to Ukraine," Kristersson said.
Macron was criticized at home by the party leader of the far-right National Rally Jordan Bardella who accused the president of "losing his cool" by raising "the specter of a committing of our troops against a nuclear power."
But French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal Tuesday reaffirmed Macron's comments, saying "you can't rule anything out in a war."
In his initial reaction, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that sending troops to Ukraine was not in the interests of Western countries.
"This is absolutely not in the interests of these countries, they should be aware of this," Peskov said after being asked about Macron's statement, adding that many countries "are keeping a fairly sober assessment of the potential dangers of such actions."
"The very fact that the possibility of sending some contingents from NATO countries to Ukraine is being discussed is a very important new element," he said.
He noted that the Kremlin was "well aware of Mr. Macron's position on the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia."
Asked if the appearance of NATO troops in Ukraine would lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia, Peskov said: "In this case, we need to speak not about a possibility but of the inevitability" of confrontation.
"And these countries need ... to ask themselves if (confrontation) is in their interests and, mainly if it's in the interests of the citizens," he said.
