Majority of French youth ready to fight in Ukraine - poll results

More than one in two French citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are ready to fight in Ukraine to defend their country, the French independent news outlet 20minutes wrote on April 12, citing the poll results commissioned by the country’s Defense Ministry.

The survey, conducted by the Ipsos market research and consulting company, reveals a sense of “patriotic revival” among young people who are ready to defend France even outside its borders.

Of those surveyed, 51% are ready to go to war in Ukraine to defend France, with 17% saying “definitely yes” and 34% saying “maybe yes”.

In addition, 57% are ready to fight under the French flag in any war without specifying a particular country.

The poll also shows that 31% of the country’s young people support the deployment of French troops in Ukraine, compared with only 17% of respondents aged 50 and over.

The majority of young men and women (77%) expressed concern about the economic consequences of the Russian war against Ukraine and fear (73%) its spread to other countries.

The survey was conducted in 2023, before President Emmanuel Macron raised the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine in February 2024. A total of 2,300 French men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 were interviewed.

Read also: Macron considers two options for sending troops to Ukraine, says Ukrainian MP

On Feb. 26, Macron said that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future should not be ruled out. Several NATO countries publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine in response to Macron’s statements, including Poland, the United States, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and the UK.

We cannot guarantee that our country’s military will not be sent to Ukraine in the future, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on March 3.

Western countries should discuss the idea of sending troops to Ukraine and stop drawing “red lines” in terms of assistance to Kyiv, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said.

NATO countries should consider all options to help Kyiv, the Netherlands’ Defense Chief, General Onno Eichelsheim, said.

Read also:

• Finnish President urges NATO countries to prepare for conflict with Russia, consider conscription

• War returns to Europe if we allow Russia to defeat Ukraine — French Prime Minister

• Macron: Europe ready with $53 billion aid package for Ukraine if US falters

European NATO member states have been studying the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine for weeks, AFP reported, citing a source.

French troops could be sent to Ukraine to protect certain borders and take part in exercises or ground air defense, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Feb. 28.

He ruled out the participation of French soldiers in battles “directly on the front line.”

On March 18, the Daily Mail reported that former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace did not rule out the possibility that British troops might have to fight in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that when Macron spoke of sending Western troops to Ukraine, he was referring to training the Ukrainian military.

On March 26, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Macron was considering five scenarios for sending troops to Ukraine.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine