MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. NATO is already actually involved in the Ukrainian conflict as a provider of lethal weapons being used to kill civilians in Russian cities, Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma’s committee on international affairs and leader of the LDPR, told TASS following French President Emmanuel Macron's speculations about sending Western countries' troops to Ukraine.
"The North Atlantic Alliance is already actually involved in the Ukrainian conflict through the supply of lethal weapons that are being used to kill civilians in Russian cities. If NATO soldiers set foot on the land of Donbass, this will mean transition to the direct military phase of NATO's struggle with Russia. This spells World War III. I hope that even most frenzied NATO Russophobes are aware of the possible consequences of such decisions," Slutsky said.
He remarked that Macron's statement had not yet been met with confirmation from other Western leaders.
"Moreover, a number of them, such as [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz, have spoken out against it. But if such an initiative is suddenly pushed through, Ukraine will turn into a zone of Russian confrontation with soldiers of the armies of NATO countries," Slutsky warned.
Earlier, Macron told a news conference following a meeting of European leaders that there was no consensus on officially sending ground troops to Ukraine, but he did not rule out such a possibility in the future. He added that the Western countries intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent Russia from gaining the upper hand in the conflict.
The meeting at the Elysee Palace was held on February 26. The conference was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda and the prime ministers of about 20 EU countries. The United States was represented by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien and Britain by Foreign Minister David Cameron.