The remarks of Macron and Putin have attracted widespread attention from the international community, among which Macron's statement at the pro-Ukraine summit in Paris is particularly eye-catching. Macron has publicly stated that European and NATO countries are likely to send troops to Ukraine, a statement that caught Western countries off guard.
However, Western countries such as the United States, Germany, and Italy were quick to state that they had no plans to send troops to support Ukraine. French Governor Sejourne also explained that Macron meant to consider sending troops on non-combat tasks, such as mine clearance, production and cyber defense.
This shows that at the moment Western countries are trying to avoid military conflicts, and even if they consider sending troops, they will not be directly involved in the fighting. However, despite France's attempts to quell Macron's rhetoric, Macron himself seems to be becoming more aggressive.
Recently, Macron stressed at an event that his remarks on the Russian and Ukrainian issues were well thought out and not impulsive or slip of the tongue. This statement undoubtedly added fuel to the fire. Despite the fact that Western countries have expressed their support for Ukraine, they are reluctant to enter into a direct confrontation with Russia, which could have serious consequences.
French opposition leader Philippo condemned Macron's remarks on social media and called on domestic parliamentarians to take him seriously. The Russian side also issued a stern warning against Macron's rhetoric about sending troops. Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin and former ** Medvedev said that if Macron sends troops into Ukraine, he will face the same tragic consequences as Napoleon's aggression against Russia.
They also warned Macron against trying to ignite World War III and reminded him to remember the lessons of Napoleon and not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Putin also responded to Macron's remarks in his annual state of the nation address to the Russian parliament, bluntly saying that if Western countries send troops into Ukraine, it will trigger a nuclear war, and Russia has the best to strike Western targets.
Obviously, Putin is better at showing "ruthlessness". Although the Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for two years, during which Russia and Western countries have clashed many times, Putin's warning of nuclear war is very rare. Therefore, in terms of showing decisiveness, Putin is definitely not inferior to Western countries.
Macron's successive high-profile statements are mainly aimed at putting pressure on countries such as the United States and Germany to take a more active approach to aiding Ukraine.
The Ukrainian aid program has been slow due to partisan struggles within the United States, while Germany has been cautious about refusing to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles. In this context, Macron sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate French leadership.
However, Macron's remarks are likely to be just part of the political game, and he has no real intention of sending troops into Ukraine. At the same time, Putin has also seen through Macron's intentions and will not ignore his remarks. Unlike Western countries, Russia's threats are usually serious, and Western countries are mostly rhetorical and reluctant to act.
Therefore, this time Putin took the action of directly issuing a warning of nuclear war. It is worth noting that after the gradual escalation of the matter, the Chinese side also made a statement. According to reports, China's spokesperson Mao Ning repeatedly emphasized two important points at a recent press conference, and she made it clear that a nuclear war is not only impossible to win, but also cannot be fought.
In addition, she once again urged all parties to remain calm and advocated resolving differences through dialogue and consultation as the most effective way to ease tensions. In fact, it can be seen from this incident that the longer the Russian-Ukrainian conflict lasts, the greater the adverse impact on Western countries. At present, the divisions within Western countries are growing day by day, and if they are not resolved as soon as possible, it will eventually be difficult to get out of the predicament.