British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (L) talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as they arrive for a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022. (File photo by AFP)
NATO and Britain say they have no plans for sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, an allegation repeatedly dismissed by Moscow as propaganda.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday pointed out that Ukraine is not a NATO member, suggesting that the situation would have been different if the country was a member of the military alliance.
"We have no plans to deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine ... we are focusing on providing support," said Stoltenberg, when asked on BBC Television whether he would rule out putting NATO troops in Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.
"There is a difference between being a NATO member and being a strong and highly valued partner as Ukraine. Theres no doubt about that," he added.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss made similar remarks, saying it is very unlikely that British soldiers would be sent to fight alongside Ukrainian troops in the event of a Russian invasion.
"That is very unlikely. This is about making sure that the Ukrainian forces have all the support we can give them," she told BBC Television on Sunday.
Truss also claimed that it was "highly likely" Russia was looking to invade Ukraine.
Tensions have been built up between Russia and the West over Ukraine. The US and the UK have threatened Russia with severe economic sanctions if it goes ahead with an alleged plan to attack Ukraine.
Moscow has clarified that it has no plans to invade its western neighbor and brushed off the allegations as "fake news." It has also censured NATOs military buildup in Ukraine near its borders.
Even Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his Western allies to avoid stirring "panic" with their repeated claims that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment.
US President Joe Biden has warned that Moscow would face sanctions unlike any ever seen before if it "invaded" Ukraine. Biden also threatened to impose direct economic sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, observers caution that any military action against Russia or sanctions against its leader can precipitate a major energy crisis in Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russias energy supplies.
Russia seeks ‘mutually respectful ties with US
Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that Moscow wanted "mutually respectful" relations with Washington.
"We want good, equal, mutually respectful relations with the United States, like with every country in the world," Lavrov told Russias Channel One, adding, "Learning from bitter experience, we do not want to remain in a position where our security is infringed daily."
Russia has demanded legally binding guarantees from NATO that it will halt its eastward expansion and return to its 1997 borders. It also demands a guarantee that the military alliance will not admit Ukraine as a new member and that the US will not establish new military bases in ex-Soviet countries.
According to Lavrov, NATOs line of defense "continues moving eastwards" and has come "very close" to Ukraine.
In his Sunday remarks, the Russian foreign minister added that Ukraine "is not ready" to join the military alliance and "would make no contribution to strengthening NATO security."
He also warned that if "our attempts to agree on mutually acceptable principles of ensuring security in Europe fail, we will take countermeasures."
"They could come in all shapes and sizes. President will make decisions based on proposals by military commanders," Lavrov added.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/26565
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