Paris, March 02, 2024, The Europe Today: In a surprising turn of events, French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments on the deployment of troops to Ukraine have inadvertently brought to light the covert presence of Western personnel on Ukrainian soil, as reported by local media. Macron’s statements came after a summit in Paris focused on supporting Ukraine, where he asserted, “There is no consensus today that ground troops should be deployed in an official, accepted, and endorsed way. But nothing should be ruled out.”
Macron further emphasized, “We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.” However, these remarks unintentionally shed light on the existence of state actors associated with Western intelligence services, many holding military status, who have been operating in Ukraine since the onset of the conflict.
The presence of these personnel, often with special forces backgrounds, has been characterized as inherently clandestine and operating outside the recognized laws of war, according to Vincent Crouzet, a former employee of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE).
A Ukrainian diplomatic source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed, “All the allied states have a presence in Ukraine. It’s not a question of combat units, but there are representatives of each intelligence service, for example.”
Macron’s comments, however, have not been met with unanimous approval. NATO allies swiftly dismissed the suggestion of deploying Western troops to Ukraine, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg asserting that the alliance has no plans for such action.
In response, the White House released a statement revealing President Joe Biden’s perspective, stating that the “path to victory” lies in providing military aid to Kyiv, ensuring Ukrainian troops have the necessary weapons and ammunition for self-defense.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman echoed this sentiment, confirming that the United Kingdom had no plans for a large-scale military deployment to Ukraine beyond the small number of personnel already engaged in training Ukrainian forces.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin, in response to what it deemed as “hostile rhetoric” from NATO member states, announced on Wednesday that Russia would take additional security measures. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even chuckled when asked about Macron’s remarks during his attendance at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye’s southern Antalya province on Friday.
The revelations surrounding Western personnel in Ukraine and the subsequent international reactions underscore the complexity and sensitivity of the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
