France must not be 'weak' against Russia 'threat': Macron

"French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France must not be "weak" faced with the threat from Russia, while emphasising it had no intention of "sending our young people" to fight in the Ukraine war. "We would be wrong to show weakness in the face of this threat. If we want to protect ourselves, we French -- which is my sole concern -- we must demonstrate that we are not weak against the power that threatens us the most," he told RTL radio in an interview."

"He told RTL he would be announcing a "transformation of national service into a new form" on Thursday, but did not provide further details. A source with knowledge of the matter, speaking anonymously because not allowed to speak to the press, has told AFP that the plan is for 2,000 to 3,000 people to be trained up in the first year, aiming to increase those signing up over time to 50,000 per year."

"Macron however stressed that France had no intention of sending its youth to the frontlines. "It is absolutely necessary, at least immediately, to dispel any confused idea suggesting that we are going to send our young people to Ukraine," he said. France's top general last week caused alarm after warning that the country must be ready to "lose its children" against the background of the threat posed by Russia. Macron said the comments had been "deformed" and "taken out of context"."

France must not be weak in the face of the threat from Russia. A voluntary national military service will be introduced, replacing compulsory service abolished in 1997. Initial plans target training 2,000–3,000 participants in the first year, with incremental growth aiming for 50,000 sign-ups per year. Authorities emphasise that recruits will not be sent to fight in Ukraine. Senior military warnings about being prepared to “lose its children” provoked alarm and were described as deformed and taken out of context. Officials underline that soldiers who sign up accept sacrifices but should not be presented as being sacrificed.

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