The U.S. and key European nations declared their decision not to send ground forces to Ukraine, following France’s indication of such a possibility and a subsequent Kremlin warning of potential NATO conflict.
After French President Emmanuel Macron proposed keeping all options open to deter a Russian victory in Ukraine, acknowledging a consensus lack, major European countries, including Germany, the UK, and others, clarified their stance against ground force deployment.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reiterated their country’s position on not deploying troops, a view supported by the U.S. through a focus on security aid for Ukraine rather than troop deployment.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne later nuanced Macron’s statement, mentioning the possible non-combat roles for troops like mine clearance and cyber defence.
European leaders agreed to seek weapons from outside Europe to speed up military support for Ukraine, cautious of provoking a direct NATO-Russia conflict.
Responding to the NATO troop deployment discussion, the Kremlin warned of serious conflict implications. President Joe Biden highlighted the risks of a NATO-Russia clash escalating to global war.
Russia strongly opposes the deployment of German troops on former Soviet territories, criticizing its portrayal in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the discussion on troop deployments as an acknowledgement of the Russian threat, urging increased military support from Europe.
