French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France could deploy a military contingent to Ukraine as part of a “coalition of the willing” once the war ends, while also not ruling out a direct conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. On January 7, Ukraine’s outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported, citing an interview with France 2, that Macron is preparing to establish contact with the Kremlin “in the coming weeks” as part of broader diplomatic efforts.
In the interview, Macron stressed that his objective remains peace in Ukraine, but explicitly rejected any settlement that would amount to Ukraine’s capitulation. He underlined that, in the near term, France and its partners must continue supporting Ukraine’s defensive efforts, framing diplomacy as complementary to — not a replacement for — sustained military and political backing.
European taboo on high-level contacts begins to erode
Macron’s comments mark a notable shift in Europe’s political landscape. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, most EU leaders have avoided direct engagement with Putin, maintaining an informal but firm freeze on top-level contacts. Until recently, only Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico had openly diverged from this line.
The public discussion of renewed dialogue suggests that this taboo is weakening. As the war enters a protracted phase, European capitals are increasingly weighing not only how to support Ukraine militarily, but also how to position themselves in any future negotiation process that could shape the continent’s long-term security order.
US-Russia contacts heighten European urgency
The change in tone follows a strategic shock for Europe: the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage in August 2025, which re-established direct US–Russia dialogue without European participation. That encounter signalled Washington’s readiness to shape the framework of a peace process independently.
For Paris and other European capitals, this raised the risk of being sidelined in decisions with direct consequences for Europe’s security. Macron’s initiative is widely seen as an attempt to prevent a US monopoly over negotiations and to ensure that European interests — and Ukraine’s position — are not determined exclusively in a Washington–Moscow format.
France seeks mediator role without conceding principles
Macron’s approach combines diplomatic outreach with a clear effort to preserve European leverage. By signalling openness to contact with Putin, France aims to position itself as a key European interlocutor, while insisting that any future settlement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.
At the same time, the French president confirmed that several thousand French troops could be deployed to Ukraine after a ceasefire, tasked with monitoring the Russian-Ukrainian border rather than engaging in combat. This proposal, reported by Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, underscores an attempt to pair diplomacy with deterrence, signalling that Europe is prepared to take responsibility for post-war stability.
Strategic gains for Moscow and moral dilemmas for Europe
For the Kremlin, even the prospect of renewed dialogue with EU and NATO leaders represents a diplomatic gain. Moscow can present such contacts as evidence that its strategy of prolonged pressure has weakened Western isolation efforts, regardless of whether substantive concessions follow.
From a moral perspective, Macron’s readiness to speak with Putin is controversial, given ongoing Russian aggression and documented war crimes. Yet in the logic of great-power politics, ethical considerations often yield to strategic calculations. Macron appears to be acting on the assessment that Europe cannot afford to remain absent from a process that may define the future security architecture of the continent.
Ukraine central to Europe’s bid for relevance
Crucially, Macron has coupled any talk of dialogue with firm language on continued support for Ukraine and the rejection of a peace imposed by force. The concept of a post-ceasefire “coalition of the willing” reflects an effort to anchor diplomacy in concrete security guarantees.
In this framework, engagement with Moscow is presented not as a sign of weakness, but as part of a multi-layered strategy aimed at keeping Europe at the negotiating table and ensuring that Ukraine’s fate is not decided without European participation.
