Paris:
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Ukraine's allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the country in the fight against the Russian invasion.
He added that he “fully supported” last week's controversial comments, which did not rule out the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine, which sent shockwaves across Europe.
“We are certainly approaching a moment for Europe when it will be necessary not to be cowards,” Macron said during a visit to the Czech Republic, which is pushing a plan to buy weapons for Ukraine outside Europe.
Speaking later, after meeting his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel, he asked: “Is this or is it not our war? Can we look away and be convinced that we can let things take their course?”
“I don't believe it, and that's why I called for a strategic boost and I fully support that,” Macron said.
Most of Macron's European allies said they would not send troops to Ukraine after his comments on February 26.
The White House said Tuesday that Ukraine has never sought Western troops.
“President Zelensky is not asking for that, he is only asking for the tools and capabilities. He has never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.
Germany's defense minister said Macron's quotes were not helpful.
“We don't need, from my perspective at least, discussions about 'boots on the ground' or about more or less courage,” Boris Pistorius said at a press conference in Stockholm after meeting his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson.
“This is something that doesn't really help solve the problems we have when it comes to helping Ukraine,” he added.
French officials have said Western troops could be sent to support operations such as mine clearance instead of fighting Russian forces.
“We don't want an escalation, we have never been combative,” Macron said on Tuesday.
– Cash for shells –
Pavel, a former NATO general, agreed that Ukraine's allies should look for “new ways” to help, adding that the West would not cross “the imaginary red line” by getting involved in combat operations.
He suggested that NATO countries could, for example, train Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, which would be “not a violation of international rules.”
The presidents also commented on Prague's plan to raise money to buy ammunition for Ukraine outside Europe, which was first presented by Pavel at a security conference in Munich last month.
About 15 countries have expressed support for the plan to buy 500,000 155-millimeter ammunition and 300,000 122-millimeter shells worth about $1.5 billion.
Macron reiterated on Tuesday that France supported the plan, but did not say how much it could contribute. The Netherlands has already pledged to donate 100 million euros ($108.5 million).
Paris has so far tended to channel defense spending to domestic industry and favor European arms production for EU money.
Macron has done his part by using revenue from frozen Russian assets in Europe to finance Ukrainian defense. He estimated this at 3-5 billion euros ($3.25-$5.4 billion) a year, but said the capital should remain untouched.
“We are not in favor of doing things that are prohibited by international law and opening a debate that I think would weaken Europe,” he said.
– Nuclear energy bid –
Macron and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala signed a bilateral cooperation plan for 2024-2028, which the French leader praised as a “foundation for a long-term industrial and strategic partnership.”
Macron also addressed a nuclear forum in the Czech capital attended by several French energy companies, including energy giant EDF, nuclear fuel distributor Orano and nuclear reactor maker Framatome.
EDF and South Korea's KHNP are competing for the Czech Republic's multi-billion-euro tender for the construction of four new units at the Temelin and Dukovany nuclear power plants.
Macron said EDF's bid, due to be submitted in April, had the “full support of France”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Orano signed an agreement with Czech state energy group CEZ to enrich uranium for the Dukovany plant, replacing Russia's TVEL in this capacity.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)