MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. NATO troops are not prepared to engage in combat operations in Ukraine, and the alliance sticks to the strategy of supporting Kiev, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze revealed.
"Currently, NATO is not ready to enter the war, because the clear concept is that Ukraine’s self-defense is supported, everybody provides what is necessary, but nobody wants to be part of the war, fighting the war," Latvia’s top diplomat told The Kyiv Independent in an interview.
According to her, putting European boots on the ground in Ukraine would cause escalation for the EU that has been shying away from it.
In December, Reuters reported that European countries are discussing sending up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace. Sources told Reuters that Kiev had negotiated this with Nordic and Baltic states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that more weapons supplies to Kiev will not change the course of the special military operation but will only prolong the conflict. Also, the Russian leader noted that the use of Western long-range weapons for strikes inside Russia signals NATO’s direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict.