Italy: NATO sending troops to Ukraine will cause the risk of World War 3

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17 Mar 2024

Italy, a NATO member country, warned that if the alliance sent troops to Ukraine, it could cause a new world war.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani warned that NATO sending troops to fight in Ukraine could lead to global conflict, a new world war.
He ruled out any possibility of a scenario where Italy would deploy troops to support Ukraine in its two-year war with Russia.

I think that NATO troops should not enter Ukraine. That would be a mistake. We need to help Ukraine defend itself, but sending troops into the country to wage war against Russia means the risk of World War 3," the diplomat emphasized.

When asked about some other NATO countries leaving open the possibility of sending troops to support Kiev, he expressed hope that "that does not happen". The warning from Mr. Tajani came after French President Emmanuel Macron once again raised the topic of sending Western soldiers to Ukraine, in a new interview with TV stations TF2 and France 2.

Mr. Macron described Russia as France's "rival" and emphasized that Paris is not "at war with Russia" but only "supports" Kiev in the conflict. Regarding the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, he refused to give specific information, emphasizing that he wanted to maintain a "strategic ambiguity".

Previously, many NATO member countries announced they would not send troops to Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance has no plans to deploy troops to Ukraine.

Mr. Stoltenberg warned that even if NATO member countries decide to send troops to a conflict zone, the entire NATO bloc will be affected because NATO members are bound by a collective defense treaty.

Moscow has warned that the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine could make a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led bloc inevitable. Russia views the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war against the country and has repeatedly warned NATO members that they are prolonging the conflict by supporting Kiev.