WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland’s foreign minister says the presence of NATO troops is “not unthinkable” and thanks the French president for not ruling out the idea.
Radek Sikorski made this point on Friday during a debate in the Polish parliament commemorating Poland’s 25th anniversary of joining NATO, and the Foreign Ministry later tweeted the comment in English.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that he could not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine, a comment that sparked a backlash from other leaders.
French officials then sought to clarify Macron’s comments and defuse the backlash, while stressing the need to send a clear signal that Russia cannot win the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has warned that if NATO sends combat troops, direct conflict between the alliance and Russia is inevitable. Russian President Vladimir Putin said such measures risked sparking a global nuclear conflict.
World War III Watch: Macron sends troops to Ukraine for the first time, Moscow warns of ‘inevitable’ war with NATOhttps://t.co/NjQbqHsN1Q
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 27, 2024
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was one of the European leaders to deny sending troops to Ukraine in response to Macron’s comments, saying, “Poland has no intention of sending troops to Ukrainian territory.”
Sikorski did not discuss plans to send Polish troops to Ukraine, but he struck a different tone.
“The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not inconceivable,” he said, according to the Foreign Ministry. He said he appreciated Macron’s efforts, saying: “That’s what President Putin is afraid of, not that we’re afraid of him.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Tusk will travel to Washington next Tuesday for talks at the White House. The Poles want to encourage the United States to do more to help Ukraine.
Poland is a NATO member along the eastern flank of the alliance, bordering Ukraine across its eastern border. The country has been under Russian control in the past, and there are growing concerns that a victory for Russia in Ukraine could lead it to target other countries in the region it considers its interests.
President Macron calls on Europe not to be ‘cowardly’ and insists on proposing sending troops to Ukraine only to ‘start a debate’https://t.co/XJvce601X9
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 6, 2024
