After announcing that European Union and NATO countries were considering sending troops to Ukraine, the Kremlin suggested that a conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would become inevitable in that case.
Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic distanced themselves from the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said yesterday at a meeting of European leaders in the Elysée Palace that “there is no consensus” on sending Western troops to Ukraine, but that “nothing should be ruled out”.
The intention of the gathering was to strengthen support for Ukraine, achieve better aid coordination and send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Europe is determined to see him fail.
“The very fact that the possibility of sending certain contingents to Ukraine from NATO countries is being discussed is a very important new element,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Macron’s remarks.
“In that case, we would not have to talk about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict),” Peskov announced when asked by journalists what would be the risks of a direct conflict between Russia and NATO if NATO members send their troops to fight in Ukraine.
We remind you that the Ukrainian forces report daily on the shortage of weapons and ammunition.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday ruled out the possibility of delivering Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, arguing that it could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
“We would like to prevent this war that Russia has started against Ukraine from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO,” Scholz said in an interview.
He emphasized that the delivery of German-made Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine would require the involvement of German soldiers for this mission or their deployment in Ukraine.
“German soldiers should not be in any way associated with the potential targets of this system, neither at any place nor anywhere,” Scholz said.
He added that German soldiers will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory.
“Our state and military structures of our country will not be involved in this war. This is the responsibility of the government, the responsibility of the chancellor,” Scholz said.
Ukraine has repeatedly requested Taurus cruise missiles from Germany, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in January that Kyiv needs this weapon “to destroy Russian military infrastructure along the front line on Ukrainian territory.”
The powerful cruise missiles have a range of over 500 kilometers and are well known for their success in accurately targeting objects such as bridges or deeply buried targets, such as command bunkers.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the military alliance does not plan to send combat troops to Ukraine, following reports that some Western countries may be considering deploying troops to the war-torn country.
He reminded that the Allies from the Alliance provide unprecedented support to Ukraine, and that they have been doing so since 2014 and intensified after what he called a “full-scale invasion”.
“However, there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told the AP.
Ahead of a visit to Paris yesterday, where top officials from more than 20 countries discussed options for increasing aid to Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said some countries were considering whether to enter into bilateral agreements to send troops to Ukraine to help it in its conflict with Russia.
Fico stressed that his administration is not proposing to send Slovak troops, but did not provide details on which countries are considering such agreements, or what the troops will do in Ukraine.
The Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, Peter Pelegrini, pointed out that Slovakia will not send troops to Ukraine.
