Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool via AP
- European leaders discussed the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
- Representatives at a Monday meeting did not reach any consensus about putting troops on the ground.
- But French President Emmanuel Macron said the prospect couldn't be ruled out.
European leaders discussed the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine during a conference this week just days after the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after the Monday meeting that the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine could not "be ruled out."
Representatives at the meeting did not reach consensus about the question of putting troops on the ground in Ukraine, Macron said, though he added that "we cannot exclude anything," according to CNN.
The meeting in Paris this week included representatives of the European Union's 27 member countries, including 21 heads of state.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda told The Associated Press that the most intense conversation during the meeting centered around whether Western troops could be sent to Ukraine.
Ukraine's Western allies have supplied the country with weapons and tactical assistance since the war began, but the deployment of troops on the ground would mark a major escalation in the war.
"We will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war," Macron said after the discussions, according to reports.
Macron didn't offer additional details about which countries broached the topic of sending troops to Ukraine.
The Paris gathering comes just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a rare acknowledgment of difficulties, saying in a Sunday address that Ukraine's victory is reliant on ongoing support from the West.
Russia has racked up a series of military wins in recent months. As a result, Macron urged European leaders to consider the collective safety of the continent by doubling down on assistance to Ukraine, The AP reported.
The French president on Monday also announced a new coalition to supply long-range missiles and bombs to Ukraine and said EU leaders are stepping up their commitment to providing munitions as well.
Meanwhile, additional US aid for Ukraine that passed in the Senate has been stalled in the US House of Representatives.