France’s President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 22, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday, November 25, that France must not be "weak" faced with the threat from Russia, while emphasizing it had no intention of "sending our young people" to fight in the Ukraine war. "We would be wrong to show weakness in the face of this threat. If we want to protect ourselves, we French – which is my sole concern – we must demonstrate that we are not weak against the power that threatens us the most," he told RTL radio in an interview.
Macron is expected to make an announcement later this week on a voluntary form of military service, after France scrapped compulsory service in 1997. He told RTL he would be announcing a "transformation of national service into a new form" on Thursday, but did not provide further details.
Macron however stressed that France had no intention of sending its youth to the frontlines. "It is absolutely necessary, at least immediately, to dispel any confused idea suggesting that we are going to send our young people to Ukraine," he said.
France's top general last week caused alarm after warning that the country must be ready to "lose its children" against the background of the threat posed by Russia. Macron said the comments had been "deformed" and "taken out of context."
