French President Emmanuel Macron’s has exhibited an increasingly hawkish stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seemingly wearied by President Vladimir Putin’s inaction on diplomacy or peace talks.
While Macron walked back comments he made earlier this month, in which he suggested that NATO troops could support Kyiv forces, the French leader has not ruled out the suggestion of infantry intervention.
A series of posts on social media suggested that Macron’s talk had advanced, alleging he had pledged to put soldiers into the conflict.
Photos by Johannes Simon/Getty Images
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by user UnityNewsNet, on March 15, 2024, stated “Lat [sic] night Macron addressed the French nation and advised that he had ‘no red lines’ when it came to Ukraine. French media reported he was nearly certain to send troops to Odessa. Not a peep on the entire BBC website, Daily Mail, The Guardian etc.”
X account front_ukrainian, wrote on March 14, 2024, in a post that was viewed 299,000 times that: “In a closed circle of people, 🇫🇷Macron announced that he would send troops to 🇺🇦Odessa, – Le Monde. In any case, I will have to send some troops to Odessa next/this year. Nothing can be ruled out in terms of dynamics, – said the President of France on the night of February 21 in the Elysée Palace, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand.”
User narrative_hole, said on March 8, 2024, in a post that was viewed 1.2 million times: “Macron says that French troops will be sent to Ukraine if the Russian Army advances towards Odessa or Kiev. So basically Russia vs France soon?”
The Facts
Macron’s rhetoric and language toward Russia have certainly become more direct in the past month. In an interview with French television this week, he said Crimea must again be recognized as part of Ukraine for there to be “lasting peace.”
His comments last month that he could not rule out Western soldiers being sent into Ukraine were dismissed by the Kremlin, which said such a move would result in the inevitability of direct conflict between Russia and NATO nations
However, while Macron has not directly ruled out the possibility of ground forces entering Ukraine, there is no evidence that he has pledged this.
One of the posts about Macron mentioned an article by French newspaper Le Monde, saying that he would send troops to Odessa. This is referred to indirectly in one of the other posts.
The Le Monde article it appears to refer to was published on Thursday, March 15. The report included an off-the-record comment in which Macron allegedly told an audience in February at the Élysée “Anyway, in the coming year, I’m going to have to send some guys to Odessa.”
This statement was allegedly made ahead of his comments later the same month in which he refused to rule out the deployment of NATO troops.
While Macron’s invectives and vocal support toward Ukraine has attracted attention since February, the claim that he’s made firm commitments toward infantry intervention seems at best to have been based on off-the-record comments.
Newsweek has contacted the Élysée via a contact form for comment.
The Ruling
False.
There has been no promise to deploy NATO forces in Ukraine. A recent article by the French newspaper Le Monde included an off-the-record, reported quote in which Macron said he would “have some guys in Odessa” in a year. This appears to have inspired talk of a pledge.
However, the French president has made no public commitments toward this.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.