(Dan Tri) – Amid much controversy over whether the West will send troops into Ukraine or not, the Polish Foreign Minister said that forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are present in Ukraine.
An exercise in Ukraine in 2021 (Illustration photo: Reuters).
`NATO troops are present in Ukraine. I sincerely thank the representatives of those countries for accepting this risk,` Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on March 10 at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary.
The above comment was made amid conflicting opinions about whether the West should send military forces into Ukraine to assist in dealing with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed last month that Western leaders had discussed the scenario of sending troops into Ukraine.
While most countries, including the US, UK, and Germany, oppose the Western military presence in Ukraine, some officials appear to agree with Mr. Macron’s views.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on March 8 that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine `is not unthinkable` and he supported President Macron’s idea.
`The West should respond to Russia’s military activities in Ukraine with an asymmetric escalation. From this point of view, the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable,` said diplomat Ba.
However, Polish Defense Minister Wladysław Kosiniak-Kamysz affirmed that this country will not send troops to Ukraine.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also declared over the weekend: `France and Poland cannot speak on behalf of NATO. From the beginning, NATO did not officially or voluntarily intervene in the conflict in Ukraine. The deployment of troops
Poland is a NATO member and shares a border with Ukraine.
However, in public statements, Western officials affirmed that they did not send troops to Ukraine and wanted to avoid direct conflict with Russia.
On the contrary, Russia accused the West of deploying military forces in Ukraine and being a party to the conflict.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 10 that NATO should stop denying its presence in Ukraine.
Moscow stated that the West’s continued arms aid to Ukraine only escalates the conflict and prolongs it.
