The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted media claims regarding the deployment of its military forces, particularly from the Foreign Legion, to Ukraine blaming it on misinformation.
Recent reports from the Asian Times, citing former Pentagon Deputy Assistant Secretary Stephen Bryan, alleged the dispatch soldiers from the French Foreign Legion to Sloviansk. According to the report, the deployment included artillery and intelligence specialists, with plans for a total of 1,500 soldiers to be sent. The purported objective was to assist the 54th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
While the publication lacked specific sources, it gained traction on various social media platforms, particularly in French and English, and was cited by established media outlets such as the Indian website “Hindustan Times.”
In reaction to these media assertions, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement.
“Disinformation campaigns concerning France’s support for Ukraine persist. Contrary to reports, France has not dispatched troops to Ukraine,” the ministry conveyed.
Speculation regarding French military involvement arose following French President Emmanuel Macron’s acknowledgment of the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine. This occurred subsequent to a meeting of European leaders in Paris.
Subsequently, President Macron clarified that the deployment of troops would only be considered in case of Russian forces resuming offensive actions towards Odesa or Kyiv.
Nevertheless, President Macron underscored that the deployment of French troops in Ukraine remained a possibility, reiterating a disputable belief that Russia could not emerge victorious in the conflict.
In response to remarks by Macron and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron regarding Ukraine’s possible use of British weaponry to target Russian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered exercises for the utilization of tactical nuclear warheads, as per the Kremlin’s announcement.
Russia also criticized NATO’s extensive military exercises, dubbed “Steadfast Defender,” which have been ongoing for four months. According to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, NATO’s large-scale military maneuvers near Russia’s borders indicate the alliance’s readiness for a potential conflict with Russia.
Currently, NATO is conducting the “Steadfast Defender” exercise, which is the largest display of military strength by the transatlantic alliance in the North Atlantic, Arctic seas, and throughout Europe since the Cold War era.
Last March, President Vladimir Putin cautioned the West that a direct confrontation between Russia and the NATO-led military alliance could escalate into World War Three, a scenario that no one desires.
While Western leaders have pledged support for countering Russian forces in Ukraine, they have ruled out deploying NATO personnel to the region.
Russia and the United States possess the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, comprising more than 10,600 of the world’s 12,100 nuclear warheads. China ranks third in terms of nuclear capabilities, followed by France and Britain.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia possesses approximately 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads. However, due to a lack of transparency, exact figures for such weapons remain uncertain.
Considering the tensions between Russia and the West any careless political statements especially from such prominent figures may further escalate the situation. Since the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, no nation has deployed nuclear weapons in warfare. And sure nobody is willing to see the results of their development in a course of more than half a century. They have been serving as a deterrent from global conflict and may it stay that way.
