The United States joined seven other NATO members in rejecting a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to deploy the defense alliance’s ground forces to Ukraine.
On Monday, Macron opened the door to such a policy after a meeting in Paris when he told reporters, “There is no consensus today to officially, openly, and with endorsement, send troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing should be ruled out. We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.”
The comments were quickly dispelled by representatives from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in a press briefing that the Biden administration is maintaining its policy of not directly engaging the Russian military in the conflict and urged Congressional lawmakers to approve the currently stalled Ukrainian aid package.
The prime minister of prospective member Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, also pushed back on the suggestion.
The Kremlin’s chief spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, responded to the French leader’s implication by stating that any attempt to dispatch NATO forces to Ukraine would cause an “inevitable” conflict with Moscow.
When asked for comment on Macron’s statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the Associated Press that there are “no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.”
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