A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday a conflict between Russia and NATO would be inevitable if Western troops are deployed in Ukraine, Politico reported.
Moscow's remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out Western troops being sent to Ukraine to help Kyiv in its war against Russia.
However, other Western governments said there were no plans for troops to be deployed in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, Macron's comments at the end of a summit in Paris, where EU leaders had gathered Monday to talk about ongoing support for Kyiv, sparked a furious response from Moscow.
"In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability [of a conflict]. That's how we evaluate it," said Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press secretary.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said leaders in Paris agreed that "everyone must do more for Ukraine," but that "one thing is clear: There will be no ground troops from European states or NATO."
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the United Kingdom has no plan for a "large-scale deployment" in Ukraine, and a Spanish government spokesperson said Madrid is also against the idea of sending European troops there.
"We have to be very cautious when we talk about sending troops because we must not make people think we are at war with Russia," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
Ukraine, in any case, has not asked for Western soldiers to be deployed on its territory, Politico reported. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday there were "no negotiations" on the subject.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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