The US and European countries announced on Tuesday, the 27th of February, that they have no plans to send ground troops to Ukraine, after French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility, with the Kremlin warning that any such move would inevitably trigger a conflict between Russia and NATO, reports Reuters.
Macron’s remarks, made at a special meeting of European leaders in Paris to discuss stepping up support for Kyiv, coincide with the success of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and the growing problems encountered by the Ukrainian armed forces.
However, Germany, the UK, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic
distanced themselves from any suggestion that they might commit ground troops to the Ukrainian war.
“… There will be no ground troops on Ukrainian territory, there will be no troops sent there by European or NATO countries,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said on Tuesday, while German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was equally firm.
The White House also reiterated later that it had no plans to send ground troops, instead urging US lawmakers to approve a stalled bill that would ensure Ukrainian troops receive the arms and ammunition they need to continue fighting.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne later clarified President Macron’s statement, saying that in such a situation troops could be deployed for specific tasks without directly engaging in combat operations.
The Kremlin was quick to react to the discussion of the possible deployment
of NATO countries’ troops in Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressing the seriousness of the issue and warning that such a move would lead to the inevitability, and not probability, of direct conflict.
However, a senior Ukrainian official, Mikhail Podolyak, welcomed Macron’s remarks and interpreted them as a sign of the growing awareness of the risks posed to Europe as a result of a militaristic and aggressive Russia.
Also read: Macron leaves door open for Western troops in Ukraine
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