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In February, French President Emmanuel Macron held confidential talks with US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to change Western strategy on the war in Ukraine and encourage allies to take a tougher approach to Russia. The Wall Street Journal writes about it.

Officials said Macron hoped to lay the groundwork for a February summit in Paris on support for Ukraine. It was after that that the French president announced that he does not rule out the possibility of sending his troops to Ukraine. The French leader believes Western allies should adopt a “position of strategic ambiguity towards Russia”, putting all military options on the table and stop mentioning red lines.

According to the WSJ, Mr. Biden questioned the change in strategy, fearing it could lead to escalation. The White House is worried about a possible Russian attack on French troops if they go to Ukraine, which could push other countries into war.

Scholz also opposed Macron’s idea, the officials said, saying that it can divide allies and NATO countries become parties to the conflict. The German chancellor, according to the publication, warned Macron that if he made the idea public, he and other leaders would be forced to reject it. He strongly recommended Macron to abandon this step. But the French president made a shock statement, putting forward ideas that other leaders had privately rejected on the same day.

For its part, Moscow exploits Western disagreements. An internal Kremlin plan provided by The Wall Street Journal describes Russia’s plan to launch a campaign of diplomacy and influence to widen disagreements over Macron’s stance and weaken support for Ukraine. The campaign will aim to portray Macron as an adventurer capable of provoking a military confrontation between the West and Russia.