The war in Ukraine has plunged relations between Russia and the West to their worst since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and President Putin has repeatedly warned of the risks of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday opened the door to the possibility of European countries sending troops to Ukraine, although he also said there was currently no consensus among the parties on the decision.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Macron's remarks, said: "Just discussing the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine from NATO countries is a new and extremely important element."
Asked about the risks in case NATO member countries send troops to Ukraine, Mr. Peskov said: “In that case, we are no longer talking about the possibility, but the inevitability (of a direct conflict).”
Mr. Peskov affirmed that Western countries need to ask themselves whether this case is beneficial for them and their people.
Even talk of a possible confrontation between Russia and NATO – a Cold War nightmare for leaders and their people alike – signals the escalating risks as the West continues to confront a resurgent Russia 32 years after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
The US – the superpower behind NATO – and Russia are the two countries that possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals. US President Joe Biden has warned that a conflict between the US and Russia could spark World War III.
Ukraine's strategy?
After Russia launched a special military operation in 2022, Western leaders vowed to help Ukraine defeat and repel Russian troops.
However, these claims have never come true.
Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to penetrate Russia's fortified defenses and Russia has continued to push deeper into Ukrainian territory while US efforts to support Ukraine continue to be caught in the middle of domestic political debates.
Mr Macron insisted that no option should be ruled out if the West wanted to develop a strategy against Russia, whose military forces control a fifth of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.
“No option should be ruled out,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to ensure Russia does not win.”
A White House official told Reuters that the US has no plans to deploy US troops to Ukraine and also has no intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine.
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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