Brussels – This is the first time that the topic of sending NATO soldiers to Ukrainian territory has become a confrontation ground among Western leaders. Still, the possibility mooted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is not finding any leeway at the moment. On the contrary, within hours of the Elysee tenant’s words in the press conference at the end of the Paris conference on support for Ukraine, France’s major EU and NATO allies are clearly distancing themselves from a scenario that would involve a direct confrontation between the Atlantic Alliance and Russia.
“The position of the European Union has been clear since the beginning of the war, we must support Ukraine to win this defense war; the manner and form of specific military support is an autonomous decision within the sovereign competence of the member states,” recalled European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesman Peter Stano, talking with the press today (Feb. 27) in Brussels, stressing strongly, however, that “there is no decision at the EU level on sending troops to reinforce the Ukrainian army,” not least because “there is no European army; we are discussing different visions of member states.” Stano took a step back from being asked to comment on President Macron’s statements last night (Feb. 26)—”that’s not our job”—but he still supported on behalf of the European Commission the call for “more support with long-range missiles and ammunition; we need to mobilize more and faster because that’s what Ukrainians need for their defence.”
The possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine “is not to be ruled out,” Macron said at the end of yesterday’s summit where future assistance to Ukraine was discussed (without any EU leaders) with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the British Foreign Minister, David Cameron, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and other European, US, and Canadian officials. The French president put the eventuality in the context of the need to defeat Moscow’s army “for security and stability in Europe.” However, he quickly clarified that “there is no consensus” on this hypothesis “in an official, obvious, and approved way”. Leaving the door open to a change of strategy in the future if the balance shifts, the Elysée Palace tenant did not spare a veiled criticism of Scholz’s Germany: “Many of those who say ‘Never, never’ today are the same ones who said ‘Never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles’ two years ago”, and called for “the humility of noting that we are often six or twelve months late.” However, the objective is clear (and shared by all Western leaders) that “Russia cannot win this war,” Macron concluded.
Reactions to Macron’s words
After Macron’s words, only the French prime minister, Gabriel Attal, sided with his president—”Nothing can be ruled out in an ongoing war in the heart of Europe“— while from other capitals came distancing stances from the possibility of a deployment of Western soldiers in Ukraine to confront Russian ones. Among the very first to close the door was NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg himself: “The allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine; we have been doing so since 2014 and have intensified it since the large-scale invasion, but there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.” There is no official reaction from the White House, but a US official has confirmed to Reuters that the option is not on the table in Washington. For Italy, however, it was the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, who reiterated that “we are not at war with Russia and sending troops to Ukraine would instead give this idea,” calling for “great prudence” so as not to give rise to misunderstandings and trigger a larger-scale conflict. 
There was a straight response from German Chancellor Scholz, who not only stressed that the possibility “is not on the table” but also pointed out that “there is consensus” that this principle will remain “in the future”. He was echoed from London by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who reminded how “apart from the small group of personnel” in the UK to train Ukrainian soldiers, “we have no plans for large-scale deployment.” From Madrid, the Spanish government confirmed through its spokesmen that it “does not agree” with the scenario outlined by Macron and that instead “we need to focus on speeding up the deployment of weapons; unity has been the European Union’s most effective weapon so far against Putin.” Sweden, which is on track to become the 32nd NATO member in a few days, similarly pointed out through its premier, Ulf Kristersson, that “there is no demand” from Kyiv on this front and therefore, the “issue is not current”. Neither Poland nor the Czech Republic, as confirmed by their respective prime ministers, Donald Tusk and Petr Fiala, have plans to send soldiers to Ukraine. At the same time, Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, warned that such an intervention by any NATO country, even on the basis of a bilateral agreement, “means provoking a global conflict.”
