Sawt Falasteen - Macron warns against 'limits' on backing Ukraine

"If Russia wins this war, Europe's credibility will be reduced to zero," Macron said in an interview with French broadcasters TF1 and France Television.

Calling the conflict in Ukraine "existential for our Europe and for France", Macron said anybody advocating "limits" on aid to Ukraine "chooses defeat".

He said there had been "too many limits in our vocabulary" since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

"Two years ago we said we would never send tanks. We did. Two years ago, we said we would never send medium-range missiles. We did," he said.

"Those who say 'let's not support Ukraine' do not make the choice of peace, they make the choice of defeat," he added.

For France "all options" are on the table in its support for Ukraine, Macron said.

"Should the situation get worse, we will be ready" to prevent a Russian victory, but he also said his country would "never go on the offensive" in the war.

"We will never take the initiative," he said.

- 'Not in that situation' -

Macron caused controversy last month when he said committing ground troops to Ukraine was not ruled out.

His remark found little echo among allies, but also among the French population, with 68 percent disapproving of such an announcement, according to an opinion poll for daily Le Figaro.

A majority in both houses of parliament backed Macron's Ukraine strategy this week, with the far-right RN party abstaining and the radical left voting against, with its deputies accusing Macron of "war-mongering".

Asked Thursday about sending ground troops to Ukraine, Macron replied: "We are not in that situation today."

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal this week warned that a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "disaster" for French households' purchasing power because food and energy prices would soar.

An opinion poll published this month by La Tribune daily points to a weakening of French public support for economic and financial aid for Ukraine, with favourable opinions falling by 11 percentage points from June last year to just 39 percent now.

Around 79 percent meanwhile said that they were against sending combat troops to Ukraine, and 47 percent stated that they also did not want French troops to undertake training missions in Ukraine.

F.AbuZaid--SF-PST