Macron doesn’t rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine

Macron confirmed the topic of Western boots on the ground in Ukraine was discussed in a "very free and direct" manner, adding that "everything is possible, if it is useful." The subject was first raised publicly by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who said a "restricted document" ahead of the summit had implied "that a number of NATO and EU member states were considering sending troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis."

EU leaders also moved toward an agreement on scaling up ammunition purchases for Ukraine from third-country providers — something that goes against France's strategic autonomy agenda and desire to boost European defence industries.

On Monday evening, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he received "big support" at the talks in Paris from European partners for his proposal to source shells from outside the EU for Kyiv. The Czech Republic is leading a campaign to raise €1.4 billion to pay for ammunition for Ukraine, in compensation for a blocked U.S. aid package and delays in EU deliveries.

The French president said Paris "would take part in the initiative," adding: "We're totally open to it, the only objective is to be effective in helping the Ukrainians."

Delegates indicated that countries were taking stock of what shells were available for purchase on the market before making a decision in 10 days' time.

For France, this is a significant shift. Previously, Paris argued that rushed purchases of non-EU weapons and shells risks de-incentivizing European defence manufactures at a time when the Continent needs to be more self-reliant.