NATO allies rule out sending troops to Ukraine as Russia rebukes Macron
(VOVWORLD) - The United States and key European allies said on Tuesday they had no plans to send ground troops to Ukraine, after France hinted at the possibility, and the Kremlin warned that any such move would inevitably lead to conflict between Russia and NATO.
 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Photo: VNA) |
French President Emmanuel Macron had said on Monday that Western allies should exclude no options in seeking to avert a Russian victory in Ukraine, though he stressed there was no consensus at this stage.
His comments, made at a hastily convened meeting of European leaders in Paris on ways to boost flagging support for Kyiv, come amid battlefield gains by Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces in eastern Ukraine as well as growing shortages of ammunition and manpower on the Ukrainian side.
However, Germany, Britain, Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic distanced themselves from any suggestion they might commit ground troops to Ukraine, where the conflict is now in its third year.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was equally adamant.
The White House later reiterated that it too had no plan to send ground troops, instead urging US lawmakers to approve a stalled security aid bill that would ensure Ukrainian troops got the weapons and ammunition needed to continue their fight.