A French General has stated that the Russo-Ukraine War, which is nearly in its tenth month, is “not in the interest” of European nation-states, arguing that the war’s continuation is, however, in the interests of the United States government.
While speaking with the French cable channel BFMTV on Wednesday, November 9th, General Pierre de Villiers, the former Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, argued that—instead of following the high-risk, escalators policies of the United States—European countries ought to be working towards de-escalating the war in Ukraine, the Paris-based Le Figaro reports.
During the interview, the general after telling the host that “this war is not ours,” lamented Europe’s systematic alignment with the U.S. military interests, and expressed hope that European leaders might change course and push for a “diplomatic solution from above.”
“This war in Ukraine is not in the interest of European countries, certainly not of France, perhaps of the Americans,” de Villiers said.
“The challenge from my point of view is to stop the escalation. Since February 24, we have been in a permanent escalation,” the general continued, adding: It is time to find a solution that does not bring dishonor to the Ukrainians who are fighting bravely and who have been attacked.”
Later on in the interview, General de Villiers noted that the French military is woefully underprepared to engage in a sort of high-intensity conflict with another nation-state. He argued that over the past decade the French government has failed to adequately fund its armed forces, and added that it lacked personnel.
“Between 2008 and 2015 we cut 20% of military personnel,” he said. “It was a mistake in terms of what we know today. We have been talking for 20 years about increasing our reserve force capacities, we have 40,000 reservists we have not done it.”
“When there is the pandemic, we allocate hundreds of billions [to relief], inflation tens of billions. When you build an army model to protect the French, you have to determine the threat, then determine this model in physics— the equipment, etc.—then we determine the budget envelope.”
