On Tuesday, the Kremlin cautioned that there would be an inevitable confrontation between Russia and the NATO alliance led by the United States if European NATO nations dispatched forces to participate in the conflict in Ukraine.
Military vehicles including trucks and support vehicles, all belonging to the 7 Light Mechanised Brigade unit of the British Army, aka 'The Desert Rats', are loaded by members of the Royal Logistics Corps' 17 Port & Maritime Regiment onto the MV Anvil Point, at the at the Marchwood Military Sea Mounting Centre near Southampton, southern England, on February 13, 2024, to take part in military exercises in Europe under the NATO umbrella exercise, 'Steadfast Defender'. Some 90,000 NATO troops will take part in the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 exercise designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. The exercise is designed to simulate the 31-nation alliance's response to an attack from a rival like Russia.
Russia's Western relations are currently facing their most severe crisis since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, triggered by the ongoing war in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has previously emphasized the risks of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door on Monday to European nations sending troops to Ukraine, although he said that there is no unanimous agreement at this stage, reported Reuters.
"The very fact of discussing the possibility of sending certain contingents to Ukraine from NATO countries is a very important new element," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Macron's remarks.
Asked by reporters about the risks if NATO members sent their troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said:
"In that case, we would need to talk not about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict)."
What Do Members Of NATO Think?
According to The Associated Press, Germany and Poland say they're not sending troops to Ukraine.
Moscow issued the warning a day after Macron's meeting with officials from over 20 Western countries supporting Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press that "NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014 and stepped up after the full-scale invasion. But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine."
However, despite ruling out NATO military action, Stoltenberg told the AP "that this is a war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, blatantly violating international law. According to international law, Ukraine of course has the right to self-defense, and we have the right to support them in upholding that right."
The Paris conference follows the signing of 10-year bilateral security agreements by France, Germany, and the U.K. with Ukraine as part of Kyiv's efforts to strengthen Western support.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia but earlier this month, Biden called Putin a "crazy SOB."
U.S. sources allege Russia is planning to put a nuclear weapon in space.
