Ahead of the planned debates in the National Assembly and the Senate on Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13, President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron gathered with party leaders on Thursday morning, March 7, for discussions on the Ukraine situation. This meeting, modelled after those in Saint-Denis, was convened following the President’s remarks on February 26 during a press conference held after a conference supporting Ukraine: “Currently, there is no consensus to officially, openly, and expressly deploy troops on the ground. However, in a dynamic context, nothing should be ruled out.”
French daily Le Monde reported that Macron emphasised to the French party leaders that there was “no limit” to French support for Ukraine. This sentiment was later reiterated by the National Secretary of the French Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, who confirmed these remarks: “France’s stance has evolved; there are no longer any red lines, no more limits.”
Le Monde noted that the deputy of the Nord recalled how “Macron vividly sketched out, map in hand, the potential scenario of a Russian advance “towards Odesa or Kyiv,” emphasizing that such a development “could trigger an intervention,” as “we cannot, under any circumstances, allow [Moscow] to act with impunity.” He then portrayed a president “prepared, as soon as tomorrow, to engage in a perilous escalation of conflict.
His remarks come at a time when reports indicate that the German CDU/CSU parliamentary faction is actively seeking to schedule another vote on the transfer of German Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The first parliamentary secretary of the faction, Thorsten Frei, made this announcement in a comment to the Rheinische Post: “The CDU/CSU parliamentary faction will call for a roll-call vote on the supply of Taurus missiles in the Bundestag during the upcoming session week. Parliament needs to take the lead,” he stated. Frei also stressed that the threat from SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich to the partners of the so-called traffic-light coalition clearly signals that “the Chancellor has run out of arguments. Olaf Scholz now stands amidst the ruins of his unfounded communication.” Frei added that it is time for “the members of parliament to lead him out of this impasse.”
The new vote on Taurus missiles for Ukraine will be included in the agenda of the session scheduled for Thursday, March 14. The document calls on the German government to “promptly address Ukraine’s request for Taurus missile supplies from the existing Bundeswehr stocks, to the fullest extent possible and without delay.”
