On February 26, local time, France's Emmanuel Macron mentioned the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine, and Russia warned that it would inevitably trigger a head-on conflict between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia. The United States and some European countries have expressed their stance and distanced themselves from the "sending troops" rhetoric, saying that they have no such plan.
Allies "retreat".
Joseph Biden has already made it clear that the United States will not send troops to Ukraine to fight. Adriana Watson, spokeswoman for the White House *** committee, said in a statement on the 27th.
John Kirby (data map).
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder made the same statement. ** John Kirby, the committee's coordinator for strategic communications, said that whether to send troops to Ukraine is a "sovereign decision" of NATO member states, and the United States has no such plan.
In the eyes of the White House and the United States, the priority is to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (data map).
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that at the international conference in support of Ukraine held in France on the 26th, the leaders of the meeting believed that "Ukraine will not have ground troops and soldiers sent by European countries or NATO countries", and Ukraine needs more military aid. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: "Sending ground troops is not an option for Germany. ”
A spokesman for Spain** expressed his position at a press conference: "We do not agree with this proposal. ”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Peter Fiala in Prague, Czech capital, that "Poland has no plans to send troops to Ukraine." Fiala said the Czech Republic "certainly does not intend to send troops."
When we talk about sending troops, we have to be very careful, because we must not give the impression that we are at war with Russia," said Antonio Tajani, Italy, "We are not at war with Russia. ”
Croatian Zoran Milanovic believes that sending troops to Ukraine is a "stupid" approach, and that "the only way to defuse the Ukrainian crisis is to reach a peace agreement."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Associated Press that NATO countries have been providing assistance to Ukraine, "but there are no plans to send ground combat troops to Ukraine."
The Russian side warned
The leaders of more than 20 European countries, as well as representatives of the United States and Canada, held a meeting in Paris, the capital of France, on the 26th to discuss how to support Ukraine in the context of the current Russian army's dominance.
French ** Macron.
At a press conference summarizing the results of the meeting, Macron said that Western countries did not reach a consensus on sending ground troops to Ukraine, "but, as the situation changes, no possibilities are excluded." We will do everything in our power to ensure that Russia cannot win this war. ”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fizo disclosed before the meeting that some NATO and European Union member states are considering sending troops to Ukraine through bilateral agreements. Neither Macron nor Fizo have made public which countries are considering sending troops. Fizo said Slovakia was not among them, and that doing so would cause a "dangerous escalation" of the situation.
Peskov. Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference on the 27th that the Russian side noted Macron's remarks and the discussion of Western countries on sending troops, and that sending troops to Ukraine is "absolutely not in line" with the interests of Western countries, and if this is done, a direct conflict between NATO and Russia will be "inevitable".
The Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, quoted by the Russian news agency Sputnik, reported that the West must recognize the consequences of sending troops to Ukraine.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right party "National League", accused Macron's remarks in the French parliament of "pushing France further to war" and exposing all French people to an "existential threat".
UN spokesperson Stefana Djarric responded to Macron's remarks by saying that all parties should refrain from making "adding fuel to the fire" rhetoric.
A "new" approach
French Foreign Minister Stefana Céjourne said in the French parliament that sending troops to Ukraine does not mean direct participation in the war, but to provide support to Ukraine in "new ways", such as carrying out minesweeping, cyber defense and manufacturing tasks in Ukraine, which do not meet the "threshold of war".
Lithuanian Defense Minister Alvidas Anusauskas also said that Lithuania could send troops to help Ukraine train troops, but would not directly participate in the war.
A spokesman for the British prime minister told reporters that the UK has no "plans for a large-scale deployment (of ground forces)" and has sent a small number of personnel, including medical trainers, to the Ukrainian army.
On the 27th local time, Kirby, the coordinator of strategic communications of the White House *** committee, at a press conference at the White House.
However, when asked whether the United States would consider sending troops into Ukraine to carry out the tasks mentioned by Sejourne, Kirby, the coordinator of strategic communications at the White House *** committee, gave a negative answer. According to Kirby, the "only" U.S. military personnel in Ukraine are members of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, tasked with helping with U.S. military aid to Ukraine. He reiterated that Biden made it clear at the beginning of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in 2022 that "the US military will not carry out combat missions in Ukraine."
NATO has previously said publicly that it will not send NATO troops to Ukraine, fearing that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will escalate into a conflict between NATO and Russia. However, many Western countries have provided Ukraine with a large number of advanced equipment to train Ukrainian soldiers, and some mercenaries from Western countries have gone to fight in Ukraine.
Military personnel move 155-millimeter artillery shells to be shipped to Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, U.S., April 29, 2022.
A senior European defense ** who did not want to disclose his identity told the Financial Times on the 27th: "The special forces of Western countries are already in Ukraine, which is well known, they just haven't publicly admitted it." ”
Macron said on the 26th that at the beginning of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, some people in Western countries said that they would "never" provide tanks, planes or long-range missiles to Ukraine, but later changed their position; These people are now also saying that they "never" send troops to Ukraine, but that may change "in 6 to 12 months".
*: CCTV news client.
Editor: Mo Fan.
Process Editor: Guo Dan.