France: Russia may attack NATO countries in the next few years 0
(Dan Tri) – The French President announced that Europe needs to prepare for a possible Russian attack in the coming years and needs to make more efforts to support Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at a press conference after a meeting with European leaders on February 26 (Photo: Reuters).
About 20 European leaders gathered in Paris, France on February 26 to send a message about Europe’s determination to support Ukraine, while refuting the Kremlin’s statement that Russia will definitely win.
`All the countries present at this table have declared a general consensus that we should be prepared for the possibility of Russia attacking these countries in a few years,` Mr. Macron said in his speech.
The French president has called on Western countries to increase support for Ukraine, warning that Moscow’s actions in recent weeks signal that Russia could attack NATO countries in the next few years.
`We all agree that we do not want to go to war with the Russians, but we are determined to control the escalation,` Mr. Macron said, adding that the meeting sought to `do more on
President Macron invited his European counterparts to the Elysee Palace to attend a hastily arranged meeting to discuss measures to increase ammunition supplies to Ukraine, in the context of his advisers’ criticism of the move.
`There is a great sense of urgency,` Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters after the meeting.
He added that the leaders are supporting the Czech initiative to buy ammunition worldwide to send to Ukraine.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that about 15 countries have signed up for an initiative to buy hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition from third countries, something that France was initially cautious about because it wanted to prioritize the development of its own European industry.
Ammunition supplies have become an important problem for Kiev.
`We want to send (Russian President) Putin a very clear message that he will not win in Ukraine,` an adviser to the French president told reporters before the meeting.
`Our goal is to destroy the idea that he wants us to believe that somehow he will win,` the French presidential adviser added.
After initial successes in repelling the Russian army, Ukraine has suffered setbacks on the eastern battlefield, with the country’s generals complaining about shortages of weapons and soldiers.
Speaking to leaders via video, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed with President Macron’s warning about the escalation of conflict.
`We must ensure that Russia cannot destroy our achievements and cannot expand its aggression to other countries,` Mr. Zelensky emphasized.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, as well as leaders from Spain, Portugal, Poland and the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, were among those attending the meeting.
