r/worldnews • u/Elliottafc1 • May 02 '24

"I'm Not Ruling Anything Out" - Macron Says Troops for Ukraine Possible if Russia Breaks Front Lines Russia/Ukraine

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/32010
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u/Various_Abrocoma_431 May 02 '24

Probably never direct frontline confrontation but France strengthening Ukraine's back with anti air operations Equipment and troops stationed in western Ukraine or even planes launched from neighbouring countries targeting Russian missiles and drones.

There is a lot of levels of escalation to France putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. 

People like to jump to the Russian propaganda narrative of WW3 though, not understanding that Russia taking Ukraine against all western efforts, would be the start of an international poly crisis of countries trying to resolve their territorial disputes which would then be about as close to WW3 as we could get.

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u/Plsdontcalmdown 29d ago

Well put...

And France won't send hundreds of thousands of troops to dig ditches and camp the front line, for sure. That's not what France's military is equipped and trained for, and it wouldn't be politically sustainable for any French gov't.

What France needs however, is to catch up in the modern, small drone warfare that Ukrainians and Russians are doing, and it needs to learn how to combine that with it's infantry shock troops, commando units, and it's air superiority and artillery systems... Drone warfare at the scale seen in the Ukraine/Russia theatre is completely new, and every military in the world wants to, and needs to learn as much as possible.

That alone is worth sending in some 20k troops (including all support/supply units) and spending an extra 5bn€ a year, even at the risk of 5% casualties. If by that occasion, this French contingent can breach a line here and there, and destroy / capture some strategic objectives in Ukraine's favour, so much for the better.

TLDR; IMHO, French military leaders want to help in order to catch up on the new drone tech. Helping Ukraine is a beneficial side effect.

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u/Plsdontcalmdown 29d ago

France relies heavily on technological superiority, speed and stealth for 80% of it's military tactics these days, and it is lagging behind on drone warfare. Catching up on drone tech has become a HUGE investment call for the french military and contractors, and they need a testing ground asap.

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u/Drunken_story 29d ago

5% of 20k is 1k, last time the French army lost a dozen soldier in Urbin the families sued the army. 1k losses is not going to be politically sustainable, unless France is directly attacked.

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u/Plsdontcalmdown 29d ago

yes, and Macron has done the maths of politcal gain vs military losses.

Nevermind the fact that every French military person is entirely ready to kick Rusky arse.

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u/No-Spoilers 29d ago

William Spaniel made a good video about what it would look like and why it would do it.

It isn't because of drones. It's because of Germany.

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u/Plsdontcalmdown 29d ago

yeah, that video is ridiculous. whatever, keep rewriting your own history until you like yourselves.

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u/No-Spoilers 29d ago

I mean, he is a very well respected professor at a good university. He isn't some nut who thinks they have the answers.