French Troops in Ukraine May Be Play by Macron to Propel Himself to Status of 21st Century Sun King

French Troops in Ukraine May Be Play by Macron to Propel Himself to Status of 21st Century Sun King

Sputnik

Russian Foreign Intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin revealed Tuesday that Paris is planning to send thousands of troops to Ukraine. 

The new info comes just days after the French president doubled down on threats to put boots on Ukrainian soil “to counter Russia." Sputnik asked security analysts about the implications of these developments.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service’s bombshell revelation about French plans to deploy 2,000+ troops to Ukraine may signal a play by President Emmanuel Macron to raise his stature as a major European and even global leader, but would almost certainly wind up undermining the regional security order, Russian and European security and international affairs observers have told Sputnik.

“With these actions and statements, Macron is trying to play his own [independent] role in a new alignment of the European community,” says Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, a Russian security-affairs think tank.

“It must be understood here that Macron presently has the strongest cards” among any European leader, according to Mikhailov. “He feels the most confident in the post of leader of the ‘European locomotive’, and is set to rule over France until 2027. That is, he's not a lame duck, and unlike [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz and the leaders of EU-level institutions, is a politician ‘in full bloom’,” rather than someone planning to retire into political obscurity in the foreseeable future.

With France enjoying military capabilities that are unmatched by any of its neighbors, and possessing a powerful Foreign Legion (i.e., presto mercenaries in a pinch), Macron undoubtedly has access to both the personnel and the resources to send troops to Ukraine, the Russian observer believes.

“The question, rather, is in what legal status this could be formalized,” Mikhailov stressed, expressing “serious doubt” that Paris would rally the courage to send an official contingent of French troops to the east, given repeated warnings by Russian officials about the “extremely negative” consequences such a step might entail.

Naryshkin warned in his statement Tuesday that French forces in Ukraine would immediately become a priority target for the Russian military.

Alexandrov doesn’t believe Macron will commit to send a formal contingent of troops to Ukraine. “But France could of course theoretically create a base – a pool of personnel for the constant replenishment of mercenary units, and perhaps is already doing so,” the analyst said.

Macron may be searching for a casus belli for intervention in Ukraine Graziani said, adding that France's colonial past has shown that Paris certainly has the capabilities and experience of using troops and mercenaries to attempt to impose its will on other countries, particularly in Africa.