The Kyiv Independent
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Macron says he would send troops to Ukraine in case of Russian breakthrough, Ukrainian request.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would consider sending troops to Ukraine in the case of a Russian breakthrough at the front or if Ukraine requested it, in an interview with the Economist published on May 2.
Macron added that such conditions did not currently exist.
In March, Macron called Russia's invasion of Ukraine "existential" for France and the rest of Europe. Later, Macron said he would not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
Macron reiterated this sentiment in his interview with the Economist, saying that Europe's "basic condition" of security depends on its ability to avoid defining concrete red lines.
"If Russia wins in Ukraine there will be no security in Europe," he said.
Kyiv has not appealed to the West to send its troops to Ukraine, instead asking for increased arms supplies to help Ukrainian soldiers fend off Russian aggression.
In a novel comparison, Macron said that France had sent troops to aid African nations in the Sahel when they had asked for help.
The French president also said Europe cannot always rely on the U.S. for defense and must learn to "get ready to protect ourselves."
The interview came ahead of a visit to France by Chinese President Xi Jinping in May. Macron is expected to try and convince Xi to use his influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek an end to the full-scale war in Ukraine.
In recent months, Macron has become an increasingly outspoken advocate of European defense, championing increased defense production, and military aid for Ukraine .
During his April 25 speech at the Sorbonne University, Macron urged other EU states to strengthen their defenses and reconsider their role on the global stage, stressing the risks that Europe is currently facing.
Media: Ukrainian coal businessman Kropachov detained.
Ukrainian businessman Vitaliy Kropachov is the owner of the Ukrdoninvest Group of companies with assets in the coal industry, machine-building, construction, transportation, and media.
Zelensky: No reports of artillery shortages for past 2 months.
Over the winter months, Ukraine's armed forces suffered a "critical" shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid.
Zelensky: Russia's Kharkiv Oblast offensive reaches 10 km in some areas, halted by 1st defense line.
Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep in some areas during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on May 16.
Police: Russia using civilians in Vovchansk as human shields.
Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of the Kharkiv Oblast, said on air on Suspilne that up to 40 civilians, most of them elderly, had been taken captive when trying to escape Russian shelling.
Pentagon: Washington has not changed position on Ukrainian strikes in Russia with US arms.
Washington has not changed its position on potential Ukrainian strikes with U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory, even after Russia had launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on...
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Russian airstrikes and missiles target residential areas of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.
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