MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The idea of sending troops to Ukraine floated by French President Emmanuel Macron would not be feasible amid the lack of US support and limited capabilities within the French army itself, Jacques Hogard, a former senior officer of the French Foreign Legion, told TASS.
"Macron did consider this [sending of troops] and he has repeatedly voiced the idea. He planned to do so in collaboration with the British army and, perhaps, other armies - the Germans, and the Polish. But we can see clearly today that his plan has failed," Retired Colonel Hogard said.
The French expert said this was mostly due to the rejection by the United States. "The Americans have rejected these scenarios as they are totally unwilling to support any deployment of troops in Ukraine that they deem as counterproductive, be it in terms of reconnaissance, logistics or anything else," Hogard explained. "So, I think, today Mr. Macron’s proposal has collapsed," he added.
Besides, the veteran continued, while the French army has an operative plan to be able to deploy some 8,000 personnel this year and some 20,000 troops in 2027 or 2028, the republic’s ground forces are undermanned nor do they have enough logistical capabilities, he argued.
He dismissed Macron’s idea as wishful thinking for rhetoric’s sake. "By the way, we wonder who this is intended for - the outer world or the internal audience in France. Anyway, this is not viable to me. This is totally unrealistic," the colonel concluded.