Washington: The United States has no plans to send troops to fight in Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder, said during a briefing on Tuesday (February 27). Ryder added that international efforts are coming in order to ensure that Ukraine receives aid "as quickly as possible" to meet their most urgent needs.
"We have no plans to send US servicemen to fight in Ukraine. The president has been pretty clear on that, and that continues to be our position. As it relates to providing assistance to Ukraine, and I can really only speak in broad terms, you know, from a DOD (Department of Defense) standpoint, as you know, since the beginning of Russia's invasion, we have worked very hard to get security assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible," said Ryder.
WATCH: Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder presser
According to a statement from Ukrainian intelligence on Tuesday, Russia will escalate an ongoing influence operation this spring aimed at destabilizing Kyiv and scuppering its international support.
Ukraine is struggling to fend off Russian troops along much of the front line as Kyiv faces challenges in replenishing its ranks and a potential cut in US military aid.
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned earlier this week that Russian forces, which recently captured the strategic city of Avdiivka, could attempt another offensive in late May or early summer.
Macron's surprising comment
The statement came against the backdrop of French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to create "strategic ambiguity" by openly discussing the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine. But he was so ambiguous that he sparked confusion and irritation among some allies. Macron's comments at a late-night news conference, after he hosted a meeting of Western leaders to rally support for Ukraine, fitted with his reputation as a diplomatic disruptor who likes to break taboos and challenge conventional thinking.
By declining on Monday night to rule out putting Western boots on the ground in Ukraine, Macron was challenging the prevailing view that such a move would gravely escalate the risk of a global war between NATO and Russia.
His comments may turn out to be prescient and pave the way for greater direct Western involvement in the war in Ukraine against Russia’s invasion sometime down the line. But they also run the risk of undermining the very thing Macron sought to bolster with the Paris meeting – unity among Ukraine’s Western allies as Kyiv's forces struggle to hold off Russian troops two years into the war.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Also Read: No plans to send troops to Ukraine: NATO as Russia warns of wider confrontation
