Western troops may join battlefield if 'Ukraine requests': MP
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Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko, says that foreign troops deployed in Ukraine could be assigned to train Ukrainian troops, alongside other tasks, without engaging with Russian forces directly.
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A service man of the 13th Brigade of Operational Assignment of the NGU "Khartia" of the National Guard of Ukraine looks at screens in a drone command point in Ukraine, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP)
Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for adding to the table the possibility of deploying Western troops to Ukraine during an interview with French broadcaster LCI.
Macron suggested the possibility earlier “if the Russians were to break through the front lines [and, second,] if there were a Ukrainian request.”
Goncharenko viewed Macron’s comments as a “very good signal” to Russia, noting that foreign troops deployed in Ukraine could be assigned to train Ukrainian troops, alongside other tasks, without engaging with Russian forces directly.
The representative, when asked if Ukraine would call in Western reinforcements if Russia approaches Kiev or Kharkov, said, "Yes, I think it is possible… If the frontline situation shows us that Ukraine cannot stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin alone without European military support and troops, this is absolutely possible."
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Cut supply and surrender
Just three days ago, at a lecture at the University of Oxford, EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said that the conflict in Ukraine could end in as quickly as "a couple of weeks" without Western military aid to Kiev.
"The Ukrainian existence depends on us, I know how to finish the war in Ukraine. I can finish the war in Ukraine in a couple of weeks just by cutting the supply. If I cut the supply of arms to Ukraine, Ukraine cannot resist, they will have to surrender, and the war will finish," Borrell said.
The top diplomat also mentioned that EU countries were not united in their policy towards Russia, noting that some still consider it an ally, and mentioned that delayed US aid to Kiev could make the entire difference "between victory and defeat." This contradicts Macron's earlier statement.
In reaction to these statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday labeled the suggestion as "dangerous". He further pointed out the fact that this is not the first time France has made such a proposal.
This also follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's admitting that the situation on the frontline with Russia is deteriorating, pointing fingers at the West for its “limited” military assistance.
Speaking to the Ukrainian nation on April 14, he said, "The situation on the front during a hot war is always difficult. But these days – and especially in the Donetsk areas – it’s getting harder."
Read more: Russia adds Ukrainian President Zelensky to the wanted list
