“We will not deploy troops on the ground in Ukraine, because the only way to do that is to be prepared to engage in a full conflict with Russian troops,” said NATO’s Stoltenberg.
QUICK FACTS:
- NATO will not send forces to Ukraine, because such a move would lead to a direct military clash with Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference Thursday, TASS reports.
- “At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure that the conflict [in Ukraine] does not become a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia,” Stoltenberg said, responding to a question about Poland’s proposal to send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
- “We will not deploy troops on the ground in Ukraine, because the only way to do that is to be prepared to engage in a full conflict with Russian troops,” Stoltenberg added.
WHAT ELSE NATO’S SECRETARY GENERAL SAID:
“We are determined to do all we can to support Ukraine, and I welcome the concrete offers of assistance made by allies today. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not escalate further, because this would be even more dangerous and more devastating,” said Stoltenberg.
BACKGROUND:
- Ukraine accused Moscow on Thursday of forcibly taking thousands of civilians from Mariupol to Russia so that they can be used as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up, The Associated Press reports.
- Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry charged that Russian forces have taken 6,000 Mariupol residents to camps against their will, sending them through a camp in Russian-controlled territory, then onward through southern regions of Russia to economically depressed parts of the country.
