Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin warns of conflict with NATO if alliance troops fight in Ukraine - as happened
Jens Stoltenberg says there are no plans for Nato boots on the ground in Ukraine after Macron refused to rule it out.
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Kremlin warns of conflict with NATO if alliance troops fight in Ukraine
The Kremlin has suggested that conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would be inevitable if European members of NATO send troops to fight in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic have distanced themselves from Emmanuel Macron, who said on Monday that there was "no consensus" on sending Western troops to Ukraine but that "nothing should be ruled out".
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"The fact that the possibility of sending certain contingents from Nato countries to Ukraine is being discussed is an essential new element," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Macron's comments.
Asked by reporters what the risks of a direct Russia-Nato conflict would be if Nato members sent their troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said:
"In that case, we would have to talk not about the probability but the inevitability (of a direct conflict)."
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French officials are concerned that there has been no single galvanising Western force to respond to Vladimir Putin's putting his economy on such an adequate war footing and that there have been insufficiently clear practical responses from the West.
Ukrainian forces report shortages of weapons and ammunition as a grinding stalemate gives way to Russian gains.
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Concluding summary:
Ukraine has withdrawn from the villages of Severne and Stepove near the eastern town of Avdiyaka, which were recently captured by Russian forces, military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said.
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Two police officers were killed and four injured by Russian shelling in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Klymenko wrote on Telegram that an investigative team was deliberately fired upon while documenting damage caused by an earlier Russian strike.
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Several European countries have said they are not considering sending ground troops to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out sending soldiers to the nation on Monday.
Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Hungary ruled out the move on Tuesday, as did Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said the military alliance had no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine.
But Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said European leaders now appeared willing to procure weapons from third countries outside Europe to speed up military aid to Ukraine.
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France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said nothing was off the table in the West's efforts to prevent a Russian victory in Ukraine.
"No dynamic can be excluded. We will do everything to ensure that Russia cannot win this war," he said, noting that there was "no consensus" on an "official" deployment of ground troops.
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The Kremlin has suggested that conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would become inevitable if European members of NATO sent troops to fight in Ukraine.
"The very fact of discussing the possibility of sending certain contingents from Nato countries to Ukraine is an essential new element," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Macron's comments.
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Asked by reporters about the risks of a direct Russia-Nato conflict if Nato members sent troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said: "In this case, we would have to talk not about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict)."
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Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet on the eastern front, air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said.
One of Russia's longest-serving and most respected human rights activists, Oleg Orlov, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for denouncing the war in Ukraine.
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North Korea has shipped some 6,700 containers containing millions of rounds of ammunition to Russia since July in support of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, South Korean media reported on Tuesday.
South Korea's Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said the containers could contain more than 3 million 152mm artillery shells or 500,000 122mm rounds.
Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin warns of conflict with NATO if alliance troops fight in Ukraine – as it happened
Jens Stoltenberg says no plans for Nato troops on the ground in Ukraine after Macron refused to rule it out
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/feb/27/russia-ukraine-war-live-france-macron-ground-troops-latest-news
Boots on the ground? NATO allies reject Macron's 'troops for Ukraine' overture • FRANCE 24 English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NvJS5wGLHA
French President Emmanuel Macron's statement "suggesting the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine" causes ripples; NATO Secretary-General "No plans" | TBS NEWS DIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hI7DtgqiKY
