"We will ask for it," Macron said in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels when asked if he would offer Russia a ceasefire for the duration of the Olympics. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11.
He also said he was ready to discuss proposals to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I will pick up the phone [if Putin calls]. That is my responsibility and I will listen to what he proposes. France's role [in the Ukraine conflict] is to be the 'nerve of the war' ... On the one hand, it is necessary to transfer to Ukraine everything necessary to strengthen its defense capabilities, military equipment, but at the same time to promote de-escalation ... If Putin wants to offer something, I will listen to his proposal," the French president said.
Macron added that Paris was ready to react in case of escalation in Ukraine, but will not be the initiator of aggression.
"We are ready for any challenge, if there is another round of escalation on the part of Russia, we will be ready to react for the safety of Ukraine and the Europeans, but France will not be the first to initiate aggression," he said.
Following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine in late February, Macron said Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and, although no consensus had been reached in this regard, nothing could be ruled out.
The statement received widespread criticism with most EU members, including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland rejecting the idea of deploying Western troops to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that "there will be no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there" by European states or NATO members.
Commenting on Macron’s statements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that NATO troops’ potential boots on the ground in Ukraine will lead to an inevitable conflict between Russia and the alliance.
Russia has repeatedly warned NATO countries that arms supplies to Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets. Moscow has accused NATO countries of "playing with fire" by arming Ukraine, emphasizing that such actions hinder the possibility of Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, director general of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, that he is ready for peace talks with Ukraine, but stressed that he trusts no one and will seek guarantees.
During his interview, President Putin responded to Dmitry Kiselev’s theory that French President Macron’s recent anti-Russian rhetoric could be explained by the desire “to avenge the loss of French influence in Africa.” It was an apparent nod to the events of 2021 to 2023, when pro-French governments were overthrown in Mali and Guinea (2021), Burkina-Faso (2022), Niger (July 2023), and Gabon (August 2023). French troops had to leave Mali and Niger.