French President Emmanuel Macron warned his European partners against “the spirit of defeat” that he said was “lurking in the background” after he faced backlash for suggesting EU countries may have to deploy troops to Ukraine.Macron told journalists at a joint news conference in Prague on Tuesday (March 5) that he stood by his comments and insisted this call for a “strategic surge” was what Europe needed.”If, each day, we map out what our limits are in the face of someone (Russian President Vladimir Putin) who has none and started this war, I can tell you right away that the spirit of defeat is lurking in the background”, he said. “Not under my watch.”