Several NATO and European Union member countries are considering the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis, announced the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico.
He made his resonant statement on the eve of the meeting of European leaders in Paris, in which he participated.
"I will limit myself to say that these theses (in preparation for the Paris meeting) imply a number of NATO and EU member states are considering that they will send their troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis. I cannot say for what purpose and what they should be doing there," said Fico at a television briefing after the meeting of the Security Council of Slovakia.
At the same time, he emphasized that Slovakia, as a member of the EU and NATO, will not send soldiers to Ukraine. In his opinion, there is a risk of a significant escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
NATO command has not provided an official comment on Fico's statements.
The Prime Minister of Czechia, Petr Fiala, stated that Czechia is not preparing to send any soldiers to Ukraine, and " nobody has to worry about that."
Earlier, NATO leaders, including US President Joe Biden, emphasized that the Western military alliance seeks to avoid direct conflict with Russia, which could lead to a global war. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that "Neither NATO nor NATO allies are party to the conflict."
Paris Conference on assistance to Ukraine
On Monday, February 26, a working meeting involving around 20 European leaders took place at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Conference participants discussed ways to counter Russia and possible avenues of assistance to Ukraine in confronting the aggressor, considering the heightened situation on the front lines in recent weeks.
After the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility of NATO deploying forces to assist Ukraine, but as of now, there is no consensus on this matter.
The French leader also noted that he announced the creation of a coalition by partners and allies to supply Ukraine with medium and long-range missiles.
Earlier, Macron stated that European leaders should be prepared for a possible attack from Russia in the coming years.