Macron asserts France wants to prevent Ukraine conflict from 'morphing into new world war'

As the ruthless Russian-Ukraine war continues unabated with no signs of cessation anywhere in sight, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted on Thursday that France wants to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine and prevent it from spreading and igniting it into a new world war. During an interview with France 2 and TF1 TV channels, President Macron said, “We would like to stop the war without joining it. We do not want a global war and a geographical spillover of this conflict to other regions," Tass reported.  

Furthermore, Macron highlighted the fact that France wants to achieve this by assisting war-torn Ukraine and imposing monetary sanctions against Russia. The French President said, “We need to be ready for this conflict to be a long one,” and claimed summer and the beginning of fall seasons will be particularly challenging times. He also noted that France nevertheless aims to support Ukraine militarily and economically.  

France has vowed to stop the war in Ukraine

Notably, this has not been the first time Macron has sought a cessation of the war. Earlier in June, the President of France had vowed to "do everything" to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine, indicating a change from his past attitude towards Moscow. At NATO's Kogalniceanu military base close to Romania's Black Sea town of Constanta, Macron pledged, "We will do everything we can to stop Russia's war forces, to aid the Ukrainians and their army, and to continue to talk". He told these in front of French, American, British, and other ally troops, as per media reports. 

Earlier, Macron has even praised French troops deployed at the NATO base for upholding their duty to defend Europe when war is being fought. France deployed some 500 soldiers to Romania as part of NATO's bolstering of forces on the alliance's eastern frontier after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. 

France's military aid to Ukraine

Meanwhile, French President Macron declared that his country would swiftly send Ukraine the weaponry it needs to protect itself, including a substantial number of armoured vehicles and six additional Caesar howitzers, in an effort to help Ukraine battle Russia's "unprovoked" conflict. He went on to reassure Ukraine that France, together with the allies and partners from Europe, would be there. 

Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that CAESAR is a French self-propelled howitzer with a 52-calibre that is mounted on a 6x6 or 8x8 truck chassis. It is capable of firing all 39/52 calibre NATO-standard ammunition and hitting targets 40 kilometres afar with pinpoint accuracy. 

Macron said on Twitter that they have 'unanimously decided' to enhance their economic, humanitarian, and military support for Ukraine. He said, "The allies are shouldering their responsibilities." 

(Image: AP)