Finland does not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future. But there is no need for that now, states Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
According to the foreign minister, French President Emmanuel Macron did the right thing when he forced Russia to think about what the "red lines" in the West's support for Ukraine might be.
"Now’s not the time to send boots on the ground, and we are not even willing to discuss it at this stage. But for the long term, of course we shouldn’t be ruling anything out," Valtonen said.
Macron's idea of sending troops
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility that NATO could send troops to help Ukraine. This sparked discussions among Ukraine's allies.
France later clarified that it was not about sending troops directly to take part in combat. Some NATO countries said they were ready to consider such a possibility. These include Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Macron meant sending NATO troops to Ukraine for training.
Most countries did not support Macron's position. Moreover, according to Western media, Macron's unexpected statement caused even more hostility between him and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
