Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin warns of conflict with Nato if alliance troops fight in Ukraine – as it happened

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 become inevitable if European members of Nato sent troops to fight in Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic have distanced themselves from Emmanuel Macron saying on Monday that there was “no consensus” on sending western troops to Ukraine but “nothing should be excluded” (see post at 10am).

“The very fact of discussing the possibility of sending certain contingents to Ukraine from Nato countries is a very important new element,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Macron’s remarks.

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 need to talk not about the probability, but about the inevitability (of a direct conflict).”

French officials have become worried there has been no single galvanising western force responding to Vladimir Putin putting his economy on such an effective war footing, and insufficiently clear practical responses had emerged from the west.

Ukrainian forces report shortages of weapons and ammunition, as a grinding stalemate gives way to Russian gains.

Share