Macron Says Ukraine Troop Deployment Comments Thought Through

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that all his comments on the war between Ukraine and Russia were carefully thought out, after he sparked an uproar by not ruling out sending Western troops.

Macron on Monday said that “everything that is necessary” must be done to ensure Russia's defeat after its invasion of Ukraine, alarming several European allies, including Germany.

“These are sufficiently serious issues; every one of the words that I say on this issue is weighed, thought through and measured,” Macron told reporters.

Macron declined to comment further.

The French president had said after a conference of European leaders that while there was “no consensus” on the sending of Western ground troops to Ukraine, “nothing should be excluded.”

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

In an apparent response to Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a state-of-the-nation address Thursday “that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory” and warned of a “real” risk of nuclear war.