MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. The presence of Western forces in Ukraine in any form will constitute an escalation of the armed conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.

When asked by Wester reporters about the risks of escalation in regards to French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim, who speculated about sending Western troops to Ukraine, the diplomat said: "There are no 'risks,' it is escalation. Each shipment of weapons leads to escalation, each transfer that funds the war, carried out by the Kiev regime, is escalation."

According to Zakharova, if presence of Western troops gets added to all this via new forms of mercenarism, it will constitute "an explicit escalation."

"The question of whether this hybrid war, initiated against our country by the West, will reach a new level, should be addressed to Macron and the entire Western community," the diplomat concluded.

Following the February 26 meeting on supporting Ukraine in the Elysee Palace, Macron announced that the participants discussed an option to send Western ground troops to Ukraine. According to the president, the sides were unable to reach a consensus on this issue, but such scenario cannot be ruled out in the future.