MADRID, March 18. /TASS/. NATO forces are already present on Ukrainian territory for control of Western-supplied weapons, reconnaissance operations and training, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

The alliance’s military is not directly involved in combat operations in Ukraine, the paper asserted. It also mentioned Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski who told a conference in Warsaw on March 8 that "NATO soldiers are already present in Ukraine" but, as compared to other politicians, he would not specify the countries that they had come from.

The Polish foreign minister’s statement, as the paper said, could be seen as criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who said in late February that British and French forces were present in Ukraine.

As the paper says, it has interviewed numerous Ukrainian and European military sources over the past two years. They say that NATO countries have local informants to give frontline information, report on the efficiency of supplied weapons, potential problems with their use and probable cases of corruption related to aid provision.

Retired foreign servicemen fighting on Ukraine’s side allegedly on a voluntary basis are among unofficial informants. Besides, two sources told the paper that Washington was controlling its aid especially actively.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after a Paris meeting on February 26 that representatives of about 20 Western states had discussed further support to Kiev in the conflict with Moscow and raised the issue of potentially sending troops to Ukraine. He said that the participants in the discussion had reached no consensus on this issue but this scenario could not be ruled out in the future. Later, Macron explained that "not ruling something out does not mean doing it."

As Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed, Russia is aware of the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine where they are perishing in large numbers.