While it could be speculated that Macron broaching the subject of “European boots” on Ukrainian soil was an attempt to stretch the horizons of military aid to Ukraine, making previously verboten topics like German Taurus air-launched cruise missile shipments to Ukraine seem reasonable by comparison, the fact remains that Kyiv needs immediate and unreserved military aid from the EU/NATO. In an era where the UN Security Council appears powerless to stop sovereignty violations by nuclear-armed aggressors, it is then up to multilateral coalitions of moral nations to aid state victims like Ukraine in any way possible.   

With the stubborn nature of Russia’s expansionism into Ukraine, coupled with inevitable fatigue from more than 2 years of full-scale war, perhaps foreign personnel involvement to aid Kyiv might be both advisable and implementable.

On Monday, 26 February, during a summit of international leaders in support of Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that “France would do whatever was needed….to stop Russia winning the war in Ukraine”. He then added that, “there is no consensus today to send ground troops in an official manner, but in dynamic terms nothing should be ruled out (italics added for emphasis)”. Almost immediately, the UK, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany openly opposed the dispatching of their national contingents to Ukraine. In response to Macron’s statement, Moscow warned that Western/NATO troops in Ukraine would lead to conflict/war with NATO.