President Emmanuel Macron of France has cautioned that military support to Ukraine cannot be enough to increase the country’s capability to resist the military operations of Russia; stating that the solution is sustained diplomacy on the crisis.
President Macron had a conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Wednesday before participating in an emergency EU summit on Thursday in Brussels to make resolutions on sanctions as Russia commenced military operations in Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced the recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine and began military operations Thursday morning.
A statement from the office of the President of France on Wednesday had warned it is “very possible, very plausible” that the crisis would develop further after Putin’s recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk’s independence.
The statement further indicated that the Russian President may want to test the actions of the West in the Balkans, Bosnia, Transnistria in Moldova and the Caucasus.
As a way of reinforcement, members of NATO have provided huge military support – anti-aircraft, anti-tank missiles and helmets – to Ukraine since the Western allies expressed concerns that Russia has moved 150,000 troops to the crisis border.
The advisers of President Emmanuel Macron, thinking otherwise, insisted that diplomacy is the right response rather than facing Russian firepower.
According to the Advisers to Macron, “Taking into account the power balance, deliveries of military equipment would not allow Ukraine to stand up to Russia.
“The solution is through diplomacy” and trying to “deter” Russia.
“We want each of these countries to be aware that there are choices to make, that partnership with the EU necessitates clarity.”
The crisis in Ukraine has escalated, military operations are in high gear, countries have ordered their citizens to vacate Ukraine.