In their statement on February 27, 2023, the militarily powerful states of Europe, such as Germany and Poland, confirmed the reports that they would not send soldiers to Ukraine to fight on the front. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine. [1]
The Kremlin, on the other hand, warned that a direct conflict would be inevitable if NATO sent combat troops against Russia. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “In this case, we need to talk about the inevitability of conflict, not the possibility.” Moscow’s warning came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron said the possibility of sending Western ground troops in the future “should not be excluded”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that there was a consensus that these soldiers would not actively participate in the war. French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu emphasized that there were discussions about conducting mine clearing and military training operations, but these were far from Ukraine’s front lines. “This does not mean sending troops to wage war against Russia,” Lecornu said.[2]
The Kremlin has taken a clear stance against the possibility of NATO countries sending troops to Ukraine and has mentioned the risk of a direct conflict. In this context, Moscow aimed to create a deterrent against the possibility of the West sending troops to Kiev.
It can be said that there are serious doubts among Western actors about the future of the aid sent to Ukraine. This debate has become even more heated, especially with Macron’s proposal. This could result in determining a common position among NATO members and avoiding a direct conflict with Russia. At the same time, this shows that NATO wants to avoid a direct conflict with Russia and that support for Ukraine is intensifying in non-military ways.
Discussions about sending troops show that NATO in particular does not want to be dragged into a wider war with nuclear-armed Russia. There are no legal obstacles preventing NATO members from taking such an initiative, individually or in groups. The obstacle here is mostly political. In other words, it will not be possible to send troops to Ukraine without all 31 alliance members making a unanimous decision. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “NATO allies are providing extraordinary support to Ukraine. We have been doing this since 2014 and we increased it after the start of the war. However, we have no plans to send NATO combat troops to Ukraine.” [3]
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that “Poland is not planning to send troops to Ukraine.” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala insisted that his country “absolutely does not want to send troops” to Ukraine. On the other hand, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said that his government was not planning to propose a speech, but that some countries were considering the possibility of providing troops to help Ukraine repel the Russian attack. Fico did not give details about which countries or soldiers would do what in Ukraine. Macron also avoided naming any country and said that the West “does not want to show its hand” to Russia and wants to maintain “strategic uncertainty”.[4]
NATO has provided Ukraine with only non-lethal aid and support, such as medical supplies, uniforms and winter equipment. However, some members send weapons and ammunition on their own initiative. These occur bilaterally or in groups. Sending troops and deploying them long-term requires transportation and logistics capabilities that only countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and possibly Italy, Poland, or Spain can provide.
Stoltenberg regarding NATO’s military aid: “This is an attack by Russia against Ukraine. It clearly violates international law. Ukraine, of course, has the right to defense under international law, and we have the right to help them protect this right.” European countries are concerned that the USA will reduce its support. Because aid to Ukraine is stayed in a stuck in the US Congress.[5]
It is noteworthy that NATO emphasizes Ukraine’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law. Stoltenberg’s words show that NATO is committed to protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and supports Ukraine’s right to self-defense.
It is important that European countries are concerned that US support for Ukraine may decrease and that the US may change its European policy if former US President Donald Trump comes to office again. Although Western actors have stated that they will not provide military support to Ukraine, they do not want Russia to emerge victorious from the war in question.
The prolongation of the war in Ukraine is again considered a negative outcome for Western actors. Because this war caused great wounds on the European economy. However, in another interview, Stoltenberg did not oppose Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to attack targets in Russia. Some countries have imposed restrictions, requiring the material they provide to be used only within Ukraine. “Each ally needs to decide whether there are conditions on what they deliver,” Stoltenberg said. [6]As a result, it can be predicted that military support from Western states for the war in Ukraine will be out of the question, at least in the short term.
[1] “Germany and Poland Say They’re Not Sending Troops to Ukraine as the Kremlin Warns of a Wider War”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/nato-stoltenberg-ukraine-troops-france-slovakia-5d4ed747861a3c0edb8f922fa36427c2, (Date of Access: 28.02.2024).
[2] “Germany and Poland Say They’re Not Sending Troops to Ukraine”, Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-02-27/germany-and-poland-say-theyre-not-sending-troops-to-ukraine, (Date of Access: 28.02.2024).
[3] “Germany and Poland Say They’re Not Sending Troops to Ukraine as the Kremlin Warns of a Wider War”, Red Lake Nation News, https://www.redlakenationnews.com/story/2024/02/28/news/germany-and-poland-say-theyre-not-sending-troops-to-ukraine-as-the-kremlin-warns-of-a-wider-war/120544.html, (Date of Access: 28.02.2024).
[4] “Germany and Poland Say They’re Not Sending Troops to Ukraine as the Kremlin Warns of a Wider War”, Associated Press News, https://apnews.com/article/nato-stoltenberg-ukraine-troops-france-slovakia-5d4ed747861a3c0edb8f922fa36427c2, (Date of Access: 28.02.2024).
[5] Ibıd.
[6] Ibıd.
