Discussions about NATO troops in Ukraine - positive signal — diplomat Shamshur

He said this on the air of the Espreso TV channel.

"The statement was useful, because it started a debate about the use of troops and military capabilities of Western countries in the war against Russia. We need to understand that there will be no decision by individual countries. It has to be a collective or quasi-collective decision of NATO countries. But there is a beginning of discussions, which is good," he said.

According to him, the statement on the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine is a manifestation of Macron's personal diplomacy. 

"It is unlikely that this statement was coordinated with anyone, or at least outside his very narrow circle of foreign policy advisors. Any policy statement is only strong and effective when it is agreed upon, or when there is a support group that can speak in favor of strengthening the message. Obviously, this was not the case," he added.

• On February 26, about 20 European leaders met in Paris to discuss threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed them.
• After the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the deployment of Western ground troops to combat Russian aggression should not be ruled out in the future.
• Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed that some NATO and EU member states are allegedly discussing the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine after signing bilateral agreements with Kyiv.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of the Alliance said that no general decision had been made to send troops to Ukraine, and Russia called such a move a declaration of war.
• On February 29, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that Western leaders should not rule out the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine.