Western troops in Ukraine on cards

Putin must lose: Macron

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new coalition would be created to supply Ukraine with longerrange missiles and munitions and even said sending Western ground troops to fight the Russian invasion should not be ruled out.

In further measures to aid Ukraine, the EU is also expected to move to seize Russian profits generated in the bloc.

Speaking after hosting a meeting of two dozen European leaders to discuss Ukraine, Mr Macron painted a grim picture of a Russia, whose positions were “hardening” both at home and on the battlefield.

“We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe,” Mr Macron said.

Russia, he said, was showing a “more aggressive attitude not just in Ukraine but in general”.

While there was “no consensus” on sending Western troops to Ukraine, “nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war”.

He refused to say more about France’s position, citing the need for “strategic ambiguity” but saying “it was mentioned among the options”.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was quoted as saying some EU and NATO members were weighing the option.

“Many people who say ‘never, ever’ today were the same people who said ‘never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles’ two years ago” when Russia invaded, the French President said.

“Let us have the humility to note that we have often been six to 12 months late.”

Mr Macron said the coalition would be set up to supply Ukraine with “missiles and bombs of medium and long range (for) deep strikes”.

There was a “broad consensus to do more and quicker”, he added, saying there was also a consensus to ramp up joint production of armaments with Ukraine and boost its own military industry.

The prospect of the EU seizing Russian profits stops short of calls to confiscate assets outright, a Greek envoy said.

Britain and the US have led calls for the takeover of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets, meeting reluctance from EU partners who fear such a step will cause other countries to pull money out of the West.

Spiros Lampridis, Greece’s special national envoy for Ukraine, said the Europeans were coming to consensus on a more “subtle” approach of seizing profits from Russian investments and assets, either public or private, to set up a fund for Ukraine.

The Europeans will tell Russia “I’m not going to allow you to make profits on the capital you have accumulated on my soil, so the profits of that can be confiscated,” Mr Lampridis said on a visit to Washington.

“We’re about to do it. I think it’s a question of months,” he added.

Compared with an estimated €500bn ($830bn) – or likely much more – needed for Ukraine’s reconstruction, he estimated the move would generate €50bn to €60bn.

“It’s a trifle, but still, really, it’s at least a move to show them – look what you have done,” he said of Russia.