"We note that the increasingly belligerent rhetoric of the French president, who does not rule out the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine, does not meet, mildly speaking, widespread support among EU and NATO allies and is rejected by a significant majority of French people. Nevertheless, we cannot but take such statements, which in essence are veiled threats with all seriousness," Studennikov said.
"You are asking about our possible diplomatic reaction, but it is obvious that in the case of such a scenario, retaliatory measures will lie far beyond the political sphere. We have warned the French side about this more than once," he added.
Following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine held on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine but did not reach a consensus. Some EU leaders hastened to dismiss such plans, while Macron himself reiterated on several more occasions that the option of sending troops to Ukraine should remain on the table. Earlier, Macron told The Economist that the question of sending Western troops to Ukraine would be back on the table if Russian forces broke through the frontline and Kiev made such a request. He insisted that many EU countries agreed to this scenario.