PARIS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron warned Western powers against showing any signs of weakness to Russia as he reiterated his position Thursday that sending Western troops into Ukraine shouldn't be ruled out, though he said today's situation doesn't require it.
"We're not in that situation today," he said, but added that "all these options are possible."
Macron, who is the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, declined to describe in which situation France would be ready to send troops. He said the responsibility for prompting such a move would lie with #Moscow — "It wouldn't be us" — and said France would not lead an offensive into Ukraine against Russia.
About 5 hrs ago (today) Moscow Times reported the following....
Russia has intelligence that France is gearing up to send 2,000 of its soldiers to Ukraine, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin said Tuesday.
"[The French soldiers] will become a legitimate priority target for attacks by the Russian Armed Forces," Naryshkin said, according to a statement published on the SVR's website.
"The sword awaits all Frenchmen who ever enter the territory of the Russian World," he added.