Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has criticized the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine, warning that the world is already “dancing on the edge of a volcano.”
The current French president, Emmanuel Macron, has previously refused to rule out deploying troops to Ukraine, suggesting that such a move could follow “if the Russians were to break through the front lines, [and] if there were a Ukrainian request.” He also advocated an approach of “strategic ambiguity” toward Russia that he claims is aimed at projecting strength and deterring Moscow.
In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published on Wednesday, Sarkozy lambasted this policy, reiterating that he is in favor of seeking a peaceful settlement of the conflict and engaging in talks involving Russia. He also expressed “serious doubts” about whether foreign troops should be stationed in Ukraine.
“I cannot bring myself to see the country of [Leo] Tolstoy and that of [Honore de] Balzac go to war. Have we even thought about the consequences?” Sarkozy asked, referring to the world-renowned Russian and French writers.
Noting that Ukraine, which he said shares a centuries-old history with Russia, remains “a bridge between the Slavic world and Europe,” he pushed back against Kiev’s possible accession to the EU or NATO. According to the former French president, this would “in no way solve the current problems of this country with Russia” and would only strengthen US influence in Europe.
“If we wait for one of the parties to kneel in order to end the war, we must prepare ourselves for an explosion with dramatic consequences. The world is dancing on the edge of a volcano,” Sarkozy said.
He stressed that “ambiguity” in the Western approach “can create the conditions for a catastrophic outburst,” adding that “it’s high time to start talking seriously” about how to end the Ukraine conflict and achieve a lasting peace.
“Being strong with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin means taking the risk of negotiating directly and firmly with him, not of engaging in a warlike spiral with incalculable consequences,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier this month called Macron’s remarks about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine “very dangerous” and a sign of a new round of escalation in the conflict. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that French and UK service members are already deployed on Ukrainian soil.