MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron's statement about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine was "absurd hype" and an attempt to distract attention from domestic problems, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, has told TASS.

"A very ridiculous statement it was. Absurd hype over a very risky subject. It has caused bewilderment among many European politicians and politicians in the United States. Probably it was an attempt to attract some undue attention to himself and to score points inside the country, an attempt to divert attention from all the problems that the country has with farmers. It was a very stupid idea," Pushilin said.

He remarked that Macron’s statement was "unlikely to raise his popularity rating."

Macron said after the meeting on support for Ukraine at the Elysee Palace on February 26 that the possibility of sending Western countries ground forces to Ukraine was discussed. There was no consensus, but such a scenario could not be ruled out in the future, he said.

The Paris conference was also attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda and the prime ministers of about 20 EU states. Britain was represented by Foreign Secretary David Cameron and the United States by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien. A number of France's key allies have already spoken out against sending troops to Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after the meeting at the Elysee Palace called for not attaching any special importance to conferences in Paris.