Macron does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine if Russia breaks through defense and there is request from Kyiv.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that preventing Russia from winning the war is a strategic security goal, and under certain circumstances, he does not rule out sending European ground troops to Ukraine.

The French leader said this in an interview with The Economist, Ukrinform reports.

"If the Russians broke through the front line, if there was a request from Ukraine - which is not the case today - we would legitimately ask ourselves the question. Therefore, I think that to exclude this a priori means not to learn the lessons of the last two years," Macron said and added: "Because if Russia decides to go further, we will all have to ask ourselves this question."

Regarding France's capabilities, the president noted that several thousand French troops have recently been deployed to the Sahel to fight terrorism, and this was done "at the request of sovereign states."

According to Macron, any development cannot be ruled out, because "we are facing someone who does not rule anything out [meaning Putin]."

"We have undoubtedly been too indecisive in formulating the limits of our actions in the face of someone who no longer has them and who is the aggressor. At the NATO summit in the summer of 2022, we all ruled out the supply of tanks, long-range missiles and aircraft. Now we are all in the process (of these deliveries), so it would be wrong to exclude the rest. But above all, it would be wrong in terms of trust and deterrence of the Russians," he said.

Read also: Macron proposes ceasefire in Ukraine, Middle East during Olympics

The French President emphasized that if Russia wins the war, "there will be no more security in Europe."

"Who can say that Russia will stop there? And what credibility will we have as Europeans who have spent billions, who have said that the continent's survival is at stake, and who have not given themselves the means to stop Russia?" - asks the leader of the Fifth Republic.

As reported by Ukrinform, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to deepen personal ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his two-day visit to France and will urge the Chinese leader to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.