Germany and Poland on Tuesday categorically ruled out sending their troops to Ukraine to help Kiev win its war against invading Russian forces.
Their denial came after French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday night that deploying Western troops to Ukraine has not been "ruled out."
Macron made the extraordinary comment at the conclusion of a meeting of European leaders and other Western officials in Paris, where they discussed bolstering military support for Ukraine as the full-scale Russian invasion goes into its third year.
The military powers that back Kiev have long said that their own troops would not enter into direct conflict with Russian forces, for fear of igniting an all-out war between the West and Moscow.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was at the Paris meeting, summarized the talks differently than Macron.
The German leader said on Tuesday the participants had agreed that "there will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European states or NATO states."
Poland is not planning to send any soldiers, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after a meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala in Prague.
He said that the focus should be on providing Ukraine with maximum support in its military efforts against the Russian invasion.
Tusk did not comment as to whether this view could change in the future under different circumstances.
Fiala referred to a Czech initiative that aims to procure artillery ammunition from third countries and deliver it to Kiev in cooperation with other European states such as the Netherlands.
Tusk added that if all European Union member states were as committed as the Czech Republic and Poland, there would be no need to discuss other forms of support.
The Kremlin issued a stern warning to Kiev's allies, saying their participation on the battlefield could result in a "hot conflict" among the world's biggest military powers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such fighting was "certainly not in line with those countries’ interests - and they need to understand that," he was quoted by the state news agency TASS.
The stir caused by Macron was started when he said at a press conference following the Paris meeting that nothing is off the table to ensure that Russia does not win its war against Ukraine
In response to a question from a journalist, he said: "There is no consensus today on officially sending ground troops." However, "nothing can be ruled out in the dynamic. We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war," he added.
"Many people who say 'never, never' today are the same people who said 'never, never tanks, never, never aircraft, never, never longer-range missiles' two years ago. Today, the discussion is about becoming faster and stronger in the delivery of tanks and missiles."
"So anything is possible if it helps us achieve our goal," Macron said.
Macron was responding to a reporter's question about remarks made by Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Fico, before he departed for the Paris talks, warned of a "dangerous escalation of tensions" with Russia. Individual countries, which he did not wish to name, were apparently prepared to send their own soldiers directly to Ukraine, he said.
