Macron deals major blow to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France and Kyiv's allies “cannot abandon Ukraine,” even though the country will not be joining NATO.

Speaking during an interview on the French TV channel TF1, Macron addressed a wide range of topics, including Ukraine’s future and ongoing peace negotiations.

“The first guarantee of Ukraine’s security must be a strong Ukrainian army. We cannot abandon Ukraine, even if it will not join NATO. We must provide reassurance forces in areas far from the front line,” Macron said.

He also praised Kyiv’s “clear-eyed” recognition of the limits of its military capabilities after three years of war, acknowledging that Ukraine is unlikely to reclaim all the territories captured by Russian forces.

Macron went on to discuss the potential for new sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to implement a proposed one-month ceasefire.

“On the issue of sanctions, we want to keep the United States aligned with us. What’s happening with Russia? It invaded Ukraine. Sanctions have been effective, and we have consistently supported Ukraine. We’ve done everything we can. We chose not to send troops to avoid escalation,” Macron explained.

"Russia wants the ceasefire to be discussed in Turkey. We want to apply sanctions against Russia in the next few days, in agreement with the United States", he added.

(QG - Source: TF1 / Le Figaro — Picture : © Unsplash)