No troop deployments to Ukraine, insist Western allies

Kyiv’s allies are scrambling to distance themselves from a suggestion made by French President Emmanuel Macron that Western troops could be sent to fight in Ukraine.

“Beyond the small number of personnel we do have in the country supporting the armed forces of Ukraine, we haven’t got any plans for large-scale deployment,” insisted a Number 10 spokesperson. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that, amongst the European leaders who gathered in Paris last night, “One thing is clear: There will be no ground troops from European states or NATO.”

The pushback comes after Macron caused a stir by claiming that EU leaders who gathered in Paris yesterday discussed the topic of putting Western troops on the ground in Ukraine in a “very free and direct manner”. 

Speaking to reporters following the summit he had hosted in support of Kyiv, he declared, “Nothing is ruled out…We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war.”

Unsurprisingly, his comment sparked a fierce response from Moscow. The Kremlin’s spokesperson warned today that conflict between Russia and NATO would be inevitable if Western troops were deployed in Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, Macron’s domestic opponents have jumped at the opportunity to paint the French leader as a careless warmonger. “I don’t know if anyone realises the seriousness of such a statement,” said Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally. “It is peace or war in our country that is at stake.”

Just how seriously should we take Macron’s comments? 

Speculation on troop deployment isn’t purely deriving from the French president’s comments. The subject was actually raised publicly prior to the Paris summit by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. 

Speaking just ahead of the EU gathering, Fico cited alarm over a “restricted document” listing topics to be discussed in Paris that “sends shivers down your spine.” 

“These topics,” he said, “imply that a number of NATO and EU member states are considering sending troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.”

Needless to say, Fico was not in favour of such plans. “No soldier from Slovakia will go to Ukraine,” insisted the Moscow-friendly Slovak leader, who came under fire back in January when he said that the only way to stop the war in Ukraine would be for Kyiv to give up some of its territory.

It’s worth clarifying that Ukraine has not requested that Western allies deploy troops on its territory. Or at least, not directly. President Zelensky is focussing his efforts on persuading NATO to let his country into the fold. Which would of course amount to the same thing, thanks to the alliance’s “an attack on one is an attack on all” guiding principle. 

“We have to be very cautious when we talk about sending troops because we must not make people think we are at war with Russia,” warned Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, this afternoon. “We are not at war with Russia, we are defending Ukraine.”

Though the line between the two feels increasingly blurred. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the distinction felt more convincing. 

Two years on, this feels rather more like a distortion of semantics than a truthful description of the war unfolding in Europe. 

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