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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
Contrary to previous claims that NATO has no operational plans for Ukraine, former US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Stephen Bryen claims that France already has boots on the ground in Ukraine. His revelation comes as NATO has hypocritically outlined two red lines that would justify intervention in the Ukraine War even though France has already committed troops and has thus escalated the conflict without provocation.
“France has sent its first troops officially to Ukraine,” said former US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Stephen Bryen in an article published by Asia Times.
Bryen further wrote that forces were mobilised “in support of the Ukrainian 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in Slavyansk.”
The soldiers would have come from the 3rd Infantry Regiment, one of the main components of the French Foreign Legion. French authorities have not yet commented on the matter.
“These troops are being posted directly in a hot combat area and are intended to help the Ukrainians resist Russian advances in Donbas. The first 100 are artillery and surveillance specialists,” Bryen argued.
According to him, around 1,500 soldiers from the French Foreign Legion are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the near future.
The former US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense wondered whether the “Russian red line on NATO involvement in Ukraine” or if “the Russians see this as initiating a wider war beyond Ukraine’s borders?”
At the same time, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on May 5 that NATO — “in a very confidential way and without an official statement — established at least two red lines, beyond which there could be direct intervention by the alliance in the conflict in Ukraine.” The newspaper also stressed that NATO does not plan to send its military contingent to Ukraine immediately.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently clarified that he did not rule out the possibility of NATO sending troops from Europe to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Macron’s statement as “very dangerous,” which was also criticised by French opposition parties and by several NATO members, including Italy, Hungary, and Slovakia.
According to La Repubblica, the first “red line” revolves around the possibility of Russia penetrating Kiev’s defence line and refers to the “direct or indirect involvement of third parties” in the conflict. This would happen when Ukrainian forces “can no longer fully control” the border, which would create conditions for the Russian military to penetrate the corridor between Ukraine and Belarus.
As the newspaper suggests, “then Minsk will be directly involved in a military dispute,” and “its troops and arsenal will be of decisive importance for Moscow.”
The second “red line,” according to the outlet, “implies a military provocation against the Baltic States or Poland or a targeted attack on Moldova.”
In addition, Western authorities were deeply concerned about the situation at the front and the “unfavourable conditions” for Kiev.
Russia has repeatedly stated that NATO is directly involved in the conflict, supplying weapons and training Ukrainian forces. According to Moscow, NATO, whose activities near Russia’s borders have intensified to unprecedented levels, are aimed at confrontation. The Kremlin has continuously clarified that Russia is not threatening anyone and would not attack anyone but would not ignore actions potentially dangerous to its interests.
Macron is evidently testing Moscow’s resolve and limits by deploying the Foreign Legion, foreigners in the French military who will be entitled to French citizenship after three years of service. This is, according to Bryen, for two reasons: So Macron can “act like a tough guy without encountering much home opposition” and as a petty revenge for “French troops, almost all from the Legion, getting kicked out of Sahelian Africa and replaced by Russians” which has resulted in France losing “influence” and harmed “overseas mining and business interests.”
Most importantly, though, especially in light of the two red lines that were imposed, how will NATO react to Macron’s deployment of the French Legion since the decision was made without NATO backing? Bryen suggests that “the French cannot claim support from NATO under its famous Article 5, the collective security component of the NATO Treaty” and that “Should the Russians attack French troops outside of Ukraine it would be justified because France has decided to be a combatant, and forcing an Article 5 vote would seem to be difficult if not impossible.”
The two red flags outlined by NATO do not include if French-flagged troops are killed by Russian forces, meaning if Macron’s hope is to drag the entire alliance into conflict with Russia, it will not succeed, demonstrating once again his desperation to keep France relevant in the international scenario after Russia humiliated the French president’s neo-colonial agenda in Africa.
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macroleon, kindly send a lot of french fries who were kicked out recently by sahara tribesmen. there are some new missiles and robot armoured vehicles to be tested by rf. but give new recruits citizenship in advance because they will last 6 months not 3 years.
…and still russia remains a member of the un in the west… exposing it’s foreign service to assassinations placing them in harms way abroad (refusing to bring them home) and terrorism inside it’s own country!…
when will russia learn?…
is it because russia wants it’s frozen assets back from the western banks no matter what the cost to it’s citizens both at home and abroad?
the american pigs probably stole russian goods, as they like to appropriate what does not belong to them, moscow must make them pay, one way or another. start with the american bases spread across the middle east
… and at some point you weigh your previous business in that country and protect your most precious assets which are your people!… time for russia to send the biggest message to all their dual nationals abroad … “get home” immediately!… or stay where you are -permanently!
hai ca dupa alegeri ne trimite si pe noi mociolacu si mociuca langa francezi si altii cati mai sunt pe. acolo.
scopul e de a scapa definitiv de populatia romana si mai nou extremista
populația romana neesentiala @
fotovoltaicele cu tehnologie slaba perc omoara centrala de la cernavodă. ue ne omoara industria termonucleara. pe timpul zilei cernavodă s a deconectat banii europeni omoara locurile de munca din multe alte domenii. ce primiti de la nue gratis omoara.
this has been happening since 2014, there is no need for any yankee to supposedly admit this, they have been training neo-nazis since then, there are pigs of all nationalities fighting alongside ukrainian bitches, there are yankees, european pigs, latin american bandits, islamic jihadists, geogirnos crows
some of them not white, a noteworthy detail.
sembrerebbe però che a chasovoy yar le cose con la legione di macron . . vadano come putin sperava in quanto il battaglione paracadutisti russi è messo sotto schiaffo dall’incesto franco-ucraino.
i russi attribuivano sempre grande importanza all’impressione artistica quando si trattava di culi di rana
let french foreign legion troops die a miserable death on ukrainian soil.
put all the americans, poland, english and other forein soldiers (catched in ukraine) in the moscow main street at the victory day celebrations in 9 may 2024
frenchs too
moscow victory day parade – with foreign captured soldiers
our black friends in africa got it in full how to get rid of the united parasites of america and their stooges in europe. they are kicking and jabbing them out of their continent. there’s no other way to handle this bacterial vermin.
these mercenaries should be hanged from highway bridges oldschool style