French President Emmanuel Macron ignited a fierce debate last month when, after a gathering of European leaders in Paris, he suggested that the option of sending Western troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out because “we will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war.”

Although the United States and several key NATO countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom, were quick to push back against the notion of sending troops to Ukraine, even in a noncombat role, Macron’s pointed message amounted to a cri de coeur that the very real prospect of former President Donald Trump returning as U.S. president means America may no longer be a reliable ally.