Could French Forces deploy to Ukraine under the guise of Military Aid to a Civilian Power?
For example to maintain a humanitarian corridor between Kiev and the Polish Border?
Of course they would need protecting with Radar and Air Defence assets thereby rendering Russian drone and missile strikes on Kiev impotent and risky.
Meanwhile freeing up Ukrainian assets to move close to the front or to areas less well protected.
With humanitarian corridors stretching to Odessa in the South but more importantly to Kherson in the North they would in effect stop Russians opening another front and freeing up further assets.
I realise this is all a pipe dream, but there will be teams of planners who will have gamed the scenarios to see if other options reveal themselves.
Maybe something like this is where Macron is coming from.