The Prime Minister of Slovakia has warned several Nato and EU members are considering sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
Robert Fico, who has long opposed military supplies to Ukraine and has taken a position seen by some critics as pro-Russian, offered no details and other European leaders did not immediately comment on his remarks.
Members of Nato have supplied billions of dollars in arms and ammunition to Kyiv and are training Ukrainian forces.
However, Nato leaders including President Joe Biden have underlined that the Western military alliance wants to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, which could lead to a global war.
Slovakian PM said that Nato and EU states 'considering sending troops to Ukraine'
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In a televised briefing, Fico said: "I will limit myself to say that these theses (in preparation for the Paris meeting) imply a number of Nato and EU member states are considering that they will send their troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
"I cannot say for what purpose and what they should be doing there," he said, adding that Slovakia, a member of the EU and NATO, would not be sending soldiers to Ukraine.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on February 14: "Neither Nato nor Nato allies are party to the conflict."
Fico said he saw a risk of a large escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, and that more information could not be revealed to the public. Nato had no immediate comment on Fico's remarks.
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French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico
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Asked about the comments, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said: "The Czech Republic certainly is not preparing to send any soldiers to Ukraine, nobody has to worry about that."
French President Emmanuel Macron has invited European leaders to the Elysee Palace for a working meeting announced at short notice earlier today, Monday, because of what his advisers say is an escalation in Russian aggression over the past few weeks.
Fico said calling the meeting showed the West's strategy on Ukraine had failed. He said he was going to take part in a constructive spirit although the material for discussions sent "shivers down his spine."
The meeting sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a message of European resolve on Ukraine and counter the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is bound to win a war now entering its third year.
Slovakian PM Robert Fico
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Macron told the meeting: "I have noted that more or less all the countries represented around this table have said...that the common consensus was that we should be ready in a few years' time, for Russia to attack these countries.
"We all agree we don't want to go to war with the Russian people, but we're determined to keep escalation under control," he said, adding that the meeting was meant to see how to "do more in terms of military support and budget support."
