“The dialogue continues”, but France is ready. This Saturday, the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly mentioned possible movements of French troops in Romania, a country bordering Ukraine, “to be able to contribute” to a “reassurance” of the region threatened by Russia.
“France was ready, if NATO decided, to deploy military elements in Romania,” declared the minister, referring to “several hundred” men. A meeting must take place “very soon with NATO members”, while the United States will “soon” send troops to Eastern Europe.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin estimated on Friday that with more than 100,000 Russian troops deployed on Ukraine’s borders, Russia has amassed sufficient forces for an invasion. But he stressed that a conflict between Ukraine and Russia is “not inevitable”. “There is still time and scope for diplomacy,” he added.
“The dialogue continues”
For several weeks, Russia has been pressuring Ukraine to prevent it from joining NATO. His troop movements on the Ukrainian border sparked a diplomatic confrontation between Moscow and Washington, which are now multiplying declarations and threats, while Europe, less vehement, is struggling to make itself heard.
“Dialogue continues and we are convinced that it is through dialogue, it is through diplomatic and political solutions that we must resolve this conflict,” said the French Minister for the Armed Forces this Saturday, a day after Emmanuel Macron successively spoke by telephone with Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart.
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“We are realistic, lucid and therefore we are preparing. We are ready to defend the countries that are closest to this zone of tension, ”developed Florence Parly this Saturday on France Inter, while ensuring that we favor discussions.
On January 27, Florence Parly went to Bucharest to talk about the Sahel and the French presence in Eastern Europe. “As the President of the Republic has indicated, we are ready to strengthen our presence in Romania within the framework of NATO missions”, she had already declared, announcing that she was studying the parameters of this possible deployment, a form of warning addressed to Moscow which it reiterates this Saturday.
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