France never to launch offensive against Russia but firmly supports Ukraine: Macron

PARIS -- France would not take the initiative on an offensive against Russia, said President Emmanuel Macron Thursday, insisting that there should be no restrictions on its commitment to supporting Ukraine.

Macron, who was invited to TF1 and France 2 channels to clarify his remarks about the possibility of sending western troops to Ukraine, assumes the "strategic ambiguity" in the face of a Russia that "has become very tough."

"We will never attack, we will never take the initiative. France is a force for peace. Today, to achieve peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak," Macron said, adding that France does not rule out any option, and Russia is "the only one who will be responsible for it."

France's security and Europe's credibility, he said, depend on the evolution of the crisis in Ukraine. The beginning of 2024 should be a great leap in support of Ukraine, for which "the situation has been much more difficult" for some time.

"We are not waging war on Russia and its people, we support Ukraine, we are doing our best to make Ukraine defeat Russia," Macron said. In this logic, he called Russia an "adversary" but not yet an "enemy."

Macron acknowledged the French defense industry was not adapted to the high territorial intensity of the conflict in Ukraine. He thus stressed the need to move to a "war economy" in order to "produce more and produce more quickly."