Politico: Macron urged Biden to send Western troops to Ukraine for training. The US leader did not agree

During a recent phone conversation with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested sending Western forces to Ukraine to train troops in the war zone. Biden did not support the idea.

Politico writes about this with reference to sources.

Interlocutors of journalists say that the American president expressed concern about the potential consequences of sending troops from any NATO country to where they could be in the line of fire and lead to an escalation of the conflict.

In the end, the conversation ended in nothing, which, in fact, pleased both the French leader and the US president.

Politico points out that the views of Macron and Biden do not coincide on several important issues: Macron has taken an ostentatious role as a defender of European self-sufficiency and self-determination. The White House sees it as something like a "crazy map", and Macron calls for such policy options in Ukraine that make the Biden administration nervous.

But, despite their material and cultural differences, as well as the 35-year difference in age, the politicians began to trust each other, the journalists emphasize.

Macronʼs statements regarding Western troops in Ukraine

In February, at a meeting of European leaders in Paris, Macron said that in the future, sending NATO troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out.

This statement caused lively discussions. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of the Alliance countries said that such a decision was not taken, and Russia said that such a move would be a declaration of war. Some NATO members came out in support of Macron. Finland and the Baltic countries urged the West not to reject the idea of deploying troops in Ukraine in case of a critical situation.

Macronʼs statements came against the background of the delay in military aid to Kyiv from the US and the inability of other allies to quickly resolve the issue of ammunition for the Armed Forces. After that, Macronʼs rhetoric about Ukraine began to intensify. He called on Europe to prepare for various scenarios and stated that there are no limits in helping Ukraine from Paris. However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that by sending NATO troops to Ukraine, Macron meant training. Kuleba noted that Ukraine has never asked its allies to send troops.