(CN) — Amid alarming Ukrainian losses and retreats on the front lines, NATO and European Union leaders are in the midst of fierce debates about how to best support Kyiv and defeat Russia — and the subject of sending troops, once a taboo, is now up for discussion.
On Monday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron floated the idea that soldiers from NATO countries may need to be sent to Ukraine to hold back Russia in the not-too-distant future.
“There’s no consensus today to send, in an official manner, troops on the ground,” Macron said. “But in terms of dynamics, we cannot exclude anything. We will do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
By Tuesday, his comments had sparked controversy and debates in the Western alliance. Washington, Berlin, London, Warsaw, Prague and other capitals said there were no plans to send large contingents of troops to Ukraine.
This is the first time Western leaders have talked openly about troop deployments to beef up Ukraine's battered forces. Western leaders have said they do not want to get directly involved in the war and warned against escalation.
Until now, small numbers of Western troops and contractors, acting largely as advisers and specialists, have been sent to Ukraine, though their presence remains largely unreported. On Monday, The New York Times reported that CIA personnel and bases are active along the front lines in Ukraine.
Macron's comments came during a news conference at the end of a hastily arranged summit in Paris to rally support for Ukraine at a moment when Kyiv's forces are getting driven back across the front lines in eastern Ukraine. A coalition of countries agreed Monday to step up efforts to provide much-needed ammunition to Ukraine, including medium- and long-range missiles.
Since losing the city of Avdiivka this month, battlefield reports show Russian troops are on the offensive and making significant gains in a war that has seemed until now largely a stalemate. There are growing fears that Ukraine's front lines are collapsing under the superior artillery and manpower strength commanded by Russia. Recent reports of destroyed American hardware, including an Abrams tank and Patriot missile systems, add to the ominous scenario for Ukraine and its Western backers.
The Paris summit also reflected a sense of urgency in Europe that EU powers must play a bigger role in the war as support for Ukraine wavers in the United States. Republicans in Congress have held up a new $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
Kyiv's front-line losses and weakening public support for Ukraine in the West have sparked debates in Western policy circles over whether to push for negotiations with the Kremlin to end the war or do whatever is possible to help Ukraine win militarily.
For now, Western leaders remain steadfast in their commitment to arm Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to vow that his country is winning the war and even preparing to launch a new offensive. He staked out this position in an interview with Fox News last week on the eve of the war's second anniversary.
On Monday, Macron suggested sending troops to Ukraine may become acceptable in the near future. He pointed out that many Western leaders were against sending Ukraine heavy weapons at the start of the war for fear of escalation but then changed their minds as the war dragged on.
“Two years ago, a lot around this table said that we will offer helmets and sleeping bags, and now they’re saying we need to do more to get missiles and tanks to Ukraine,” he said. “We have to be humble and realize that we’ve always been six to eight months late, so we’ll do what is needed to achieve our aim.”
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