PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron on March 7 said France would not rule out any option to support Ukraine two years into Russia’s invasion, leaders of several major French political parties said.

Speaking after a 2½-hour meeting, the party chiefs said the talks with Mr Macron left them concerned, with some accusing him of using the conflict to boost his coalition’s standing ahead of crucial European elections this summer.

The President had last week stunned many in Europe by refusing to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine, pointing to Russia’s hardening stance.

And earlier this week, Mr Macron urged Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the former Soviet state to fight off the Russian invasion.

Some party leaders on March 7 said Mr Macron advocated a “no-limits” approach to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Green party leader Marine Tondelier recounted Mr Macron saying that Mr Putin “obviously has no limits”.

She said it was “extremely worrying” to see Mr Macron tell the meeting “we must show we have no limits”, too.

Mr Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, said he had pleaded with Mr Macron “not to go to war with Russia”.

The President’s thinking includes “no limits and no red lines”, said Mr Bardella.

Far-left heavyweight Manuel Bompard added: “I arrived worried and I left even more worried.”

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, however, said the furore caused by Mr Macron’s initial remarks was due to them being “taken out of context”.

“There were hypotheses clearly put on the table but not combat ground troops as may have been said here or there,” he told broadcaster BFMTV, noting that Mr Macron had reaffirmed that France would not be a “co-belligerent” in the conflict.

“But between the transfer of arms and co-belligerence – in other words, direct war with Russia – have we done everything within that space? Are there paths that we can explore? And notably paths involving a military presence?” he asked.

Mr Lecornu said this could include mine clearance and the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian soil.

Weighing in from Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 7 that Mr Macron “continues to raise the level of France’s direct involvement” in the Ukraine war.

‘Total solidarity’

France’s Parliament will have a chance to vote on the country’s Ukraine strategy, including a bilateral security treaty signed with Kyiv in February. Debates and non-binding votes will take place on March 12 in the National Assembly Lower House and in the Senate Upper House on March 13.

On March 7, Mr Macron met Moldovan President Maia Sandu, pledging France’s “unwavering support” for her former Soviet state as tensions mount between Moldova and pro-Russian separatists.

During the meeting, the two signed a bilateral defence deal, as well as an “economic road map”, although no details were provided.

Later on March 7, France was set to host a video conference of nearly 30 countries, including Ukraine, which will follow up on the initiatives discussed at an international Ukraine summit hosted by Mr Macron last week.

Ahead of the March 7 meeting with the opposition, Mr Macron had spoken to his predecessors, Mr Francois Hollande and Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, at the Elysee Palace late on March 6.

Speaking to journalists after the talks, Mr Hollande called for more aid for Ukraine as well as European unity.

“The only possible response is to show that we are with the Ukrainians in total solidarity, that we are giving them all the support they need, without taking part in any combat ourselves,” Mr Hollande said.

Asked about the possibility of sending troops, the Socialist former president said: “My position on military issues is: The less we say, the better.”

Election battle

On March 6, government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said that it was “quite obvious” that the RN was not aligned with Mr Macron’s call to do everything to ensure Russia’s defeat.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has accused the RN of “supporting Russia more than Ukraine”.

The RN is the largest opposition party in France’s Lower House of Parliament, and leads Mr Macron’s alliance by a wide margin in European election polls ahead of the June 9 vote.

Most of Mr Macron’s European allies have said they would not send troops to Ukraine, while French officials have insisted any such forces could be sent to back operations such as de-mining rather than fighting Russian forces.

In an apparent response to Mr Macron, Russia’s leader has warned of a “real” risk of nuclear war and said that “we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory”. AFP