NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says there is a difference between a full member of the alliance and a trusted partner. He explained how NATO would react if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Western countries still do not rule out the possibility of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine. The United States and Britain are sending weapons to Kiev, and several NATO members have deployed troops in Eastern Europe.
However, in an interview with the BBC, the NATO Secretary General said that even in the event of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine, NATO forces would not enter into a military operation.
Asked if he would rule out sending NATO troops to Ukraine if Russia did, Jens Stoltenberg said: “We have no plans to send NATO troops to Ukraine.”
The NATO Secretary General said that the focus is on supporting the improvement of Ukraine’s “defense capability” against an invasion.
Stoltenberg emphasized that there was a difference between a NATO member and “a powerful and valuable partner like Ukraine”. The NATO Secretary General stated that Russia would face tough sanctions in the event of a military invasion. NATO, however, is ready to strengthen its military forces in Eastern Europe once again.
Britain: It is unlikely that troops will be sent to Ukraine
The British Foreign Secretary on Sunday (January 30th) described the possibility of sending his country’s troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian military invasion as “very weak.”
Liz Terrace stressed that it was important for Britain to ensure that the needs of the Ukrainian military were met.
The British Foreign Secretary, however, called Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine “very likely.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to double the number of British troops in Eastern Europe.
Russia last month drafted an agreement with NATO and the United States in which the Kremlin has demanded security guarantees. The Kremlin leadership emphasizes that Western countries must ensure that the NATO alliance does not move east, as this poses a security threat to Russia.
The Kremlin intends to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. That is why Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, putting pressure on Western countries.
The United States and NATO have strong suspicions that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to launch a military invasion of the neighboring country. Moscow, however, denies such an intention.
