The Kremlin warns of an ‘inevitable’ war between Russia and NATO if European members send troops to Ukraine after French President Macron warned that the West has not ‘ruled out’ putting boots on the ground

The Kremlin warned today that conflict between Russia and NATO would be inevitable if European members sent troops to fight in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned yesterday that European countries have not ruled out putting boots on the ground.

He said nothing should be ruled out as the West looks for a strategy to counter Russia, which controls just under a fifth of the territory recognized as Ukraine.

“We will do everything we have to do so that Russia does not win,” Macron said.

“The fact that there is talk of the possibility of sending certain contingents from NATO countries to Ukraine is a very important new element,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about Macron’s comments.

Asked about the risks if NATO members sent their troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said: “In that case we should not talk about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict).”

Ukrainian soldiers from the 68th Separate Fighter Infantry Brigade “Oleksa Dovbush” fired a howitzer at Russian positions on Monday, at a secret location in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.

Peskov said the West must ask itself whether such a scenario is in the interests of their countries and peoples.

The war in Ukraine has created the worst crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and President Vladimir Putin has previously warned of the dangers of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.

Even talk of a confrontation between Russia and NATO – a Cold War nightmare for leaders and populations alike – points to the dangers of escalation as the West grapples with a resurgent Russia, 32 years after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today rejected the idea of ​​European countries and NATO sending troops to Ukraine, after Macron said the idea could not be ruled out.

“What has been agreed among ourselves and with each other from the beginning also applies to the future, namely that no soldiers will be sent onto Ukrainian territory by European states or NATO states,” Scholz said.

“Britain already has a small number of personnel in the country supporting Ukraine’s armed forces, including for medical training,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said today.

“We have no plans for a large-scale deployment,” he said, adding: “The UK is also training large numbers of Ukrainian personnel here in Britain. Of course, we also support the Ukrainian troops by supplying equipment and supplies.”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has been accused by critics of being too close to Moscow, said after the meeting that there were divisions on the issue among European leaders.

“There are countries that are willing to send their own soldiers to Ukraine, there are countries that say never – Slovakia is one of them – and there are countries that say this proposal should be considered,” he said.

Macron said nothing should be ruled out as the West was looking for a strategy to counter Russia, which controls just under a fifth of the territory recognized as Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers in their fighting position towards Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, which is about to join NATO, threw cold water on the idea, saying: “It’s not in the plans at all at the moment.”

Italy said international support for Ukraine does not include the presence of ground troops, and warned against giving the impression of being “at war with Russia.”

“Since the start of Russian aggression two years ago, all allies have been united in the support they can offer Kiev,” the government said in a statement.

“This support does not provide for the presence on Ukrainian territory of troops from European or NATO countries.”

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal confirmed Macron’s comments on Tuesday, saying: “You cannot rule out anything in a war.”

He added: “I remember two years ago many around this table said we would offer sleeping bags and helmets, and now they say we need to do more and faster to have missiles and tanks.”

Russia and the United States – the major power behind NATO – have the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world. President Joe Biden has warned that a conflict between Russia and NATO could trigger World War III.

After the Russian invasion in 2022, Western leaders said they would help Ukraine defeat Russian forces on the battlefield and expel Russian forces. But that didn’t happen.

Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive failed to break deeply entrenched Russian lines and Russia has pushed deeper into Ukrainian territory just as American support for Ukraine is embroiled in domestic political debates in the US.

A White House official told Reuters that the United States had no plans to send troops to fight in Ukraine, nor were there any plans to send NATO troops to fight in Ukraine.

Putin describes the United States and its allies as a crumbling empire that wants to destroy Russia and steal its natural resources. The West sees Putin as a dictator and a murderer, and Putin’s Russia as an enemy.

The United States has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia, but Biden called Putin a “crazy SOB” earlier this month and American sources have said Russia plans to place a nuclear weapon in space.