To mark the second anniversary of the Russian attack, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a joint “leap” in aid to Ukraine at a special summit in Paris. He also did not rule out sending Western soldiers to Ukraine.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer, meanwhile, spoke out in favor of negotiations with Moscow. It’s about showing “full solidarity” with Kiev and at the same time “committing that the dying comes to an end.”
21 heads of state and government took part in the meeting on Monday in Paris. Finally, Macron did not rule out the use of ground troops in Ukraine by his country. Nothing can be ruled out in order to achieve the goal of Russia not winning the war of aggression against Ukraine, said Macron. At the meeting there was no consensus on the use of ground troops, but nothing could be ruled out in the future dynamics, Macron said. Each country can decide independently and sovereignly about the deployment of ground troops.
At the meeting it was decided to form a coalition that would supply Ukraine with missiles for attacks far behind Russian lines, said the French president. In the short term, additional ammunition for Ukraine should also be mobilized from our own stocks. A delivery of French Mirage fighter jets has not currently been decided, but we are still examining which French military material could help Ukraine, said Macron.
Munitions-Initiative
According to Czech information, around 15 countries signaled interest in Prague’s ammunition initiative. “I think that the action will find broad support in this way, I estimate that it will be 15 states,” said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala after a meeting in Paris. The Czech Republic is leading the initiative to raise money for a rapid purchase of artillery ammunition from third countries for Ukraine.
The Netherlands wants to contribute 100 million euros to the initiative, as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced in Paris. Austria, which is not involved in military aid to Ukraine, spoke out in favor of more international pressure on Russia. “More” needs to be done in the third year of the war, Nehammer told Austrian journalists in Paris on Monday afternoon.
The West needs more allies in the world. Nehammer called for the BRICS states to be “much more closely involved” in order to be able to put sufficient pressure on Russia and President Vladimir Putin to end the war of aggression. In addition to Russia, the group of states includes Brazil, India, China and South Africa. After the talks, Nehammer explained that other countries at the Ukraine support conference also shared this position. He mentioned Ireland, Slovenia and Greece. It must be made clear to Putin “that the form of war he has chosen is leading the Russian Federation and him into a dead end.” And, Nehammer added: “Putin also needs to be at the negotiating table, because otherwise we won’t achieve peace.”
Nehammer does not rule out further meetings
Nehammer was the last Western head of government to meet Putin personally. He also didn’t rule out a future meeting with Putin: “If it’s useful, if it helps, I would do it again.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned of a “dangerous escalation of tensions” with Russia. Individual countries, which he did not want to name, were apparently prepared to send their own soldiers directly to Ukraine. However, that would not persuade Russia to give in, but it would certainly increase the risk of the conflict expanding. There is “no military solution” to the conflict, Fico said.
Instead, a group of EU states must try to start talks with Russia. This is the only way to save Ukraine from more destruction and deaths and to prevent the war from spreading. The 21 European heads of state and government as well as representatives of the USA, Canada and Great Britain met at the Elysee Palace on Macron’s initiative. According to preliminary information, the leaders of Romania, Poland, Finland and Lithuania, as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Foreign Minister David Cameron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his counterparts from Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and other countries will take part in the meeting scheduled at short notice.
The United States was represented by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien and Canada by Defense Minister Bill Blair. The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was represented by a deputy foreign minister. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj took part via video link. Nehammer emphasized that he supported Zelensky’s peace plan as well as the planned peace conference in Switzerland. “It takes striving for a negotiated solution and strengthening the people of Ukraine.” A negotiated solution is only possible if no one thinks that they are in a stronger position. “The Russian Federation must not succeed.” Hungary’s approval of Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday also shows “that a large part of Russia’s strategy has failed,” emphasized Nehammer. “The Russian narrative of a dangerous NATO becomes much more realistic after this war than before because the states are now all arming themselves.” And he added: “If the aim of this action was to expand Russian security interests, then it was a clear failure.” He views any escalation of the war with concern, said Nehammer of the APA when asked about the fact that Czech Republic President Petr Pavel has allowed 20 Czechs to fight in the Ukrainian army. “The more NATO states become involved in the conflict, the more uncertain the situation becomes for all of us.”
Weapons delivered late
Ukraine complained on Sunday that its Western allies were late in delivering the promised weapons. Given the blockage of US military aid to Ukraine, there is currently particular pressure on European states to support Ukraine in its defensive battle against Russia. Several countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Canada, have recently concluded bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. Austria does not want to provide the country with military aid, but sees itself as one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid. According to the Federal Chancellery, 210 million euros in bilateral aid have already flowed to Ukraine.
