NATO Troops Already Deployed to Ukraine According to Member

(UnitedVoice.com) – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine was very concerning to NATO states. The nations have remained on alert since the start of the war. Recently, a comment by the Polish foreign minister raised concerns about the possibility of a larger conflict.

On March 8, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski attended a summit celebrating the 25th anniversary of Poland’s NATO membership. During the event, he said, “NATO soldiers are already present in Ukraine.” He refused to list the countries that allegedly put personnel in the war-torn nation but said he wanted to “thank the ambassadors of those countries” for taking the risk.

Sikorski’s comments came just a month after French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron took heat for suggesting NATO troops could be sent to Ukraine. He claimed there wasn’t an agreement between member states but said “nothing should be ruled out in the future.”

NATO allies quickly rejected Macron’s statement. President Joe Biden’s administration issued a statement saying America “will not send troops to fight in Ukraine.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office stated she doesn’t support the presence of NATO or European troops in Ukraine. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said there are no plans for a large-scale military response. He acknowledged there are soldiers there training Ukrainian forces.

On March 11, Czech President Petr Pavel said it makes sense to send “a few dozen instructors to Ukrainian territory” to teach them how to use weapons, instead of sending thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to the Czech Republic and Poland.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said it would be futile to continue denying NATO’s involvement in the conflict. Putin had previously stated the participation of NATO troops could lead to a nuclear escalation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the possibility of NATO troops in his country, saying it won’t be necessary as long as his military can keep Russia back.