Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the statement made by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski regarding the presence of NATO soldiers in Ukraine. Speaking to Sputnik, she stated, “They couldn’t hide it any longer.”
Earlier in the day, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said during a panel discussion at an event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the country's accession to the US-led bloc that some NATO countries have already sent their military to Ukraine. The event was broadcasted on the Sejm RP YouTube channel.
“NATO soldiers are already present in Ukraine,” Sikorski said.
Sikorski added that he is not going to disclose which states sent their military there, “unlike some politicians.”
Earlier, the Polish top diplomat said that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine "was not unthinkable," adding that he appreciated Macron's initiative on the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda, in turn, expressed his opinion that Warsaw needs to build a large airport to transport NATO troops.
At the end of February, Macron said that France would do everything to prevent Russia “from winning this war.” According to him, the leaders of Western countries have discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and, although no consensus had been reached in this regard, nothing could be ruled out.
Later, the French president, who was sharply criticized for his statements, noted that all his words were carefully considered. He also emphasized that Paris “has no limits or red lines” on the issue of assisting the Kiev regime.
That said, the authorities of many European countries stated that there is no talk of transferring military personnel to Ukraine. In particular, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that Berlin would not send the German military to the Eastern European country. In addition, the chancellor clarified that NATO countries as a whole are not going to do this.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto likewise said that France and Poland have no right to speak on behalf of NATO, and the alliance's intervention in the conflict would "erase the path to diplomacy."
Commenting on Sikorski's revelation, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that the alliance's members could no longer hide this.
During his annual address to the Russian Federal Assembly in late February, President Vladimir Putin issued a warning about the potentially tragic consequences of any sort of NATO intervention in Ukraine for the alliance's deployed troops.