There is no consensus among EU countries on whether to send troops to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, calling those discussing the possibility “hotheads.”
Le Monde reported on Monday, citing military sources, that debates have been revived about sending Western soldiers to the country – which could come in the form of private defense contractors or regular army troops.
A Le Monde source said that “discussions are underway between the UK and France regarding defense cooperation, particularly with the aim of creating a core of allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and broader European security.”
The French daily reported that fears US President-elect Donald Trump could pull support once he is back in the White House have led to renewed conversations.
Speaking to reporters the same day, Peskov stated the reports should be viewed with some skepticism. “We don’t know whether these reports are true, and what exactly they are really talking about,” he said, adding that “such ideas have previously been voiced by various European capitals.”
“There have also been various counter-arguments. There is no consensus among Europeans on this issue, but there are some hotheads,” he remarked.
The idea that the West should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine has been floated by French President Emmanuel Macron on several occasions this year. He also suggested that this could only happen if the Ukrainian frontline completely collapsed and Kiev made such a request, while framing his statements as part of a “strategic ambiguity” approach needed to keep Russia at bay.
Many of France’s NATO allies, however, disagreed. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vehemently opposed sending troops to Ukraine and insisted that Berlin would not become a party to the conflict. Then UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also ruled out the possibility, saying he did not want to provide Moscow with a new “target.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was even more adamant, calling the idea “unthinkable” and warning of World War III.
In May, Peskov referred to Macron’s statements as “very dangerous,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the deployment of Western forces in Ukraine could result in a “serious conflict in Europe and a global conflict.”
The report that the West was considering sending troops to Ukraine also came after Kiev received a green light from several of its backers to use foreign-made long-range weapons for strikes deep into Russia. Moscow responded by firing a new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile at a Ukrainian defense industrial facility in Dnepropetrovsk.