European countries including France have been debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defenses in the face of Russian aggression
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday ruled out bringing back mandatory military service but said he wanted to mobilize society in the face of Russian aggression and would make an announcement in the coming weeks.
Speaking to regional newspapers in comments recorded Friday and published Saturday, Macron said the return of compulsory military service was “not a realistic option.”
He said France no longer had the “logistics” to reintroduce conscription, which ended in 2001.
“We are going to look at ways to mobilize civilians,” Macron told the regional press, adding that he wanted to consolidate the “mobilization of society in the face of crises.”
European countries including France have been debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defenses in the face of Russian aggression. Fears about the strength of NATO have surged further after US President Donald Trump said Europe must take care of its own security.
According to a recent poll, 61 percent of French people are in favor of re-establishing some form of compulsory military service. During his presidential campaign in 2017, Macron had promised to introduce a month-long compulsory service, but the idea received a cool response from the army. Macron has been looking for ways to encourage young French people to serve.
In January, he asked the government and the army to submit proposals by May on how to mobilize more young volunteers to “back up the armed forces” in case of need.
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, speaking to Le Figaro, proposed creating “a voluntary military service,” which would enable at least 50,000 men and women to be trained each year.
Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu has suggested strengthening a reserve force to 100,000 people.
Earlier, Macron called on Russia to accept the US-brokered proposal for an interim 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, emphasizing that “atrocities must stop.”
Macron criticized Russia for its “delaying statements” on the proposed deal following his discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer.
“I spoke today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then with Prime Minister Kier Starmer following the progress made during the meeting between the United States and Ukraine in Jeddah on Tuesday. Russia must now accept the U.S.-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. The Russian aggression in Ukraine must end. The atrocities must stop. So must the delaying statements,” Macron wrote in a post on X.
Macron assured France’s unwavering support to Ukraine to achieve peace and informed that all partners will hold a video conference today to discuss the issue.
“Tomorrow, we will continue working to strengthen support for Ukraine and to achieve a solid and lasting peace, in a videoconference with Prime Minister Starmer, President Zelensky, and all our partners,” he added.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that he shared the results of the meeting between the Ukrainian and American delegations in Saudi Arabia with Macron. He reiterated Ukraine’s support for the US proposal for an unconditional 30-day full interim ceasefire but warned against trusting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I shared the results of the meeting (with Macron) between the Ukrainian and American teams in Saudi Arabia. It was a very constructive discussion, during which Ukraine supported the U.S. proposal for an unconditional 30-day full interim ceasefire. Now we see how Russia is trying to set conditions for an unconditional ceasefire and wants to make the process shaky. Putin cannot be trusted. His reaction already shows that Moscow does not want peace or an end to the war,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he had “good and productive discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hinted that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could “finally come to an end.”
However, on Thursday, Putin questioned the United States-brokered proposal for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, setting forth tough conditions and demanding concessions from Kyiv despite saying he supported a truce in theory, CNN reported.
“We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities but we have to bear in mind that this ceasefire must be aimed at a long-lasting peace and it must look at the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said at a news conference – repeating the Kremlin’s previous claims that the current Ukrainian government is part of the underlying problem, as per CNN.
