Russia Warns NATO It's Approaching a Red Line

The Kremlin on Tuesday warned that if Western troops are sent to Ukraine, the move could lead to a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

The warning came in response to French President Emmanuel Macron, who indicated on Monday that Western soldiers could bolster Ukraine's defenses in the 2-year-old war.

"Nothing should be excluded," the French leader said during a news conference in Paris about putting Western boots on the ground in Ukraine. "We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war."

Kyiv's Western allies have not committed troops to the war. Doing so would constitute the crossing of a red line that's been stated by Russia as provocation for escalating the conflict. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Western troops becoming involved in the war would result in the "inevitability" of a direct confrontation.

"In that case, it's not going to be about probability, but inevitability—that's how we assess it," Peskov said when asked about the probability of a direct conflict between NATO and Russia if Western troops are sent to Ukraine, according to the Kremlin-controlled outlet Tass.

Peskov added that NATO countries "should also assess" the consequences of taking such action. Kyiv's Western allies should "ask themselves whether this corresponds to their interests, and most importantly, to the interests of the citizens of their countries," he said, per Tass.

Newsweek reached out to Macron's office via email on Tuesday for comment.

However, despite Macron's suggestion, several officials from NATO countries said they would not support such a plan, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Hungary.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also denied such a step would be taken.

"NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014 and stepped up after the full-scale invasion. But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine," Stoltenberg told the Associated Press.

The Élysée Palace said in a readout following Macron's Monday meeting in Paris that Kyiv's supporters had agreed to focus on cyber defense, building up weapons production in Ukraine, defending countries such as Moldova that are "threatened by the Russian offensive in Ukraine," supporting Ukraine's security along its western border with Moscow-allied Belarus and the clearing of mines.

Ukraine would likely welcome support in the form of foreign troops as Kyiv has reportedly struggled to enlist new recruits against Russian President Vladimir Putin's much larger military. With the war entering into its third year, Ukraine has also seen aid from the United States—by far its biggest supporter in terms of weapons and funds—become stalled in Congress.