NATO denies plans to send troops to Ukraine

NATO’s secretary-general has said there are no plans to send troops to Ukraine, as Russia claimed it was ready to enter a direct conflict with the Western military alliance should it put boots on the ground.

Responding to remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron the previous day, Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday denied that NATO countries were considering the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

There are “no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine”, the NATO chief said.

Macron told a meeting of European leaders on Monday that while “there’s no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner troops on the ground … nothing can be ruled out”.

Russia was quick to leap upon the French leader’s comments. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Macron’s suggestion that Western states could send ground troops to Ukraine “a very important new element”.