PM Shmyhal: The bringing of NATO troops into Ukraine will help repel the Russians, but for now we are only asking for weapons

Author:
Oleksandra Amru
Date:

The Prime Minister of Ukraine stated that Western troops would help repel the Russians, but so far Kyiv is only asking its partners for military equipment.

He stated this on the air of the Canadian broadcaster CBC.

Recently, in an interview with The Economist, French President Emmanuel Macron repeated the thesis about the possible introduction of NATO troops into Ukraine.

Asked whether Ukraine would accept NATO troops, Shmyhal said that "reinforcements will certainly help push back the Russians." But for now, according to him, Ukraine is asking partners for military equipment.

"When the time comes, we will be extremely grateful and we will be delighted," he added.

At the same time, Shmygal said that Kyiv expects that NATO members will make a decision on Ukraineʼs membership application at the next summit in Washington in July. Ukraine officially applied for NATO membership in September 2022.

"Our army works according to NATO standards. We have carried out all the necessary reforms, and now we are one step closer to the invitation," Shmyhal said.

What preceded

On February 26, 2024, about 20 European leaders met in Paris to discuss threats from Russia. After the end of the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said that in the future, the sending of NATO troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out.

This statement caused lively discussions. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of the Alliance countries said that such a decision was not taken, and Russia said that such a step would be a declaration of war. Some NATO members came out in support of Macron. Finland and the Baltic states urged the West not to reject the idea of deploying troops in Ukraine in case of a critical situation.

Macronʼs statements came against the background of the delay in military aid to Kyiv from the US and the inability of other allies to quickly resolve the issue of ammunition for the Armed Forces. After that, Macronʼs rhetoric about Ukraine began to intensify. He called on Europe to prepare for various scenarios and stated that there are no limits in helping Ukraine from Paris. However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said that by sending NATO troops to Ukraine, Macron meant training. Kuleba noted that Ukraine has never asked allies to send troops.