NATO allies rushed this week to assure the Russian Federation and the world community that the alliance has no plans to send troops to fight in Ukraine after remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday that hinted a NATO ground war with Russia was on the table, prompting warnings from Moscow and fears of an escalation between nuclear powers.
After 25 European leaders met in Paris on Monday, Macron made some pro-Ukraine remarks, “We will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war.”
He went on to mention NATO troops on the ground, “There’s no consensus today to send in an official manner troops on the ground. But in terms of options, nothing can be ruled out.”
So, Macron says sending troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out.
Reminder:pic.twitter.com/K22AXT7iXI
— Hassan Mafi (@thatdayin1992) February 27, 2024
Other European leaders were quick to rule out NATO ground troops in Ukraine as a viable option for responding to the Russian Federation’s military invasion that began in Feb. 2022. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “there will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or NATO states.”
Meanwhile, representatives of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain said there is no serious discussion about sending alliance forces or member nations’ troops into Ukraine to fight the Russian military.
A NATO official told CNN, “There are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters regarding Macron’s remarks that the French president crossed a new line in the international discussion, “The very fact of discussing the possibility of sending certain contingents to Ukraine from NATO countries is a very important new element.”
When reporters asked Peskov what the West would risk should NATO member states send their troops to Ukraine to go to war with Russia, he answered, “In that case, we would need to talk not about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict).”
Peskov said to let the people of the West ask themselves if that would be in their best interest.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference Tuesday, “It seems to me that those who not only express such thoughts but even admit them in their heads, should still use that head for more rational thoughts, [as it’s] safer for Europe.”
