French President Emmanuel Macron has recently spoken sharply about the war in Ukraine. While earlier he spoke more loyally about putin, now he is ready to send his troops to Ukraine. Find out what the change in his rhetoric may be related to and what intra-European competition has to do with it

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Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has been one of the European leaders who advocated dialogue with russia. In particular, the French leader called for "saving the face" of russian dictator vladimir putin after the war. However, two years later, Macron's rhetoric has changed and he is now ready to send his troops to Ukraine. What happened and what is the reason for this change of heart, we will tell you below.

The British newspaper The Telegraph describes Macron's change in rhetoric as a transformation from a dove to a hawk.

Some countries, such as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, welcome Macron's apparent change of heart. However, other leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, are a bit taken aback by the change.

Why did Macron change his rhetoric?

Germany and the United States have repeatedly criticised Paris for not providing enough military assistance to Ukraine, which has hurt the French. In addition, Germany led a pan-European project to create a continuous missile defence over the EU. This also seemed to the French to be an encroachment on their status as the dominant military power in Europe.

"Paris sees this as a German invasion of its territory. Berlin is violating the gentlemen's agreement that is the basis of the Franco-German engine. Simply put, Berlin is the economic leader in Europe, while Paris is the strategic leader. The borders are now blurred, and there are attempts to invade each other's territory," said a source close to Macron.

According to the insider, a kind of "duel" for leadership has now broken out between Paris and Berlin, which resulted in Macron's loud statement about the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine. Sources in the Elysee Palace say that the statement was planned, not improvised.

Macron is also seeking to become the leader of not just a European coalition supporting Ukraine, but to lead these processes on a global scale. Especially against the backdrop of the situation in the US, where the president may soon change. Here, his position differs markedly from Scholz, who wants the US to continue to dominate Europe.

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Macron believes putin could invade Europe

Another reason, according to The Telegraph, why Macron decided to shake things up is his desire to force Europe to make a "mental leap" from the cosy tranquillity of recent decades to the harsh realities of the new era.

The French leader fears that russia will not be satisfied with conquering Ukraine and will move further into Europe. According to sources, Macron wanted to emphasise to putin that Ukraine will not be allowed to fail.

Meanwhile, Germany believes that Macron's new rhetoric and willingness to increase arms supplies is a sign that he is finally starting to take the war in Ukraine seriously. 

Other reasons

In addition, the interlocutors of the publication do not exclude that Macron's radicalisation reflects a new stage of internal political struggle in France itself, where the main rival for the ruling party is the right-wing led by Marine Le Pen, known for her sympathies for russia and putin. 

In this way, Macron allegedly wants to radicalise French voters and put them before a choice - for putin or against putin.

Zelenskyy on Macron's position

In an interview with Le Monde, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Macron has changed his rhetoric for several reasons. In particular, Zelenskyy said, the French president probably "realised that putin had deceived him personally".

"putin had given his word to certain leaders that there would be no large-scale invasion, just a few days before. That's why Macron no longer trusts putin. Indeed, it took some time, but the result is there," Zelenskyy said.

In addition, according to the Ukrainian president, in a personal conversation between them, Macron said that he was "doing this for France".

We remind you! NATO countries may face russian aggression in the near future. However, a number of events, including the US elections, may affect the outcome of the confrontation between russia and the West. What actions can be expected from the kremlin in the near future and whether Europe is ready, we discuss here.

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