Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski allowed troops to be sent to the zone of self-defense in Ukraine
In many European capitals, they are discussing sending military contingents to the zone of a special military operation and strikes with Western weapons on the territory of Russia. And according to the FSB border service, NATO is already practicing nuclear strikes against Russia. What such decisions threaten, whether they can transfer the conflict in Ukraine to a completely different plane and put the world on the brink of world war - the military observer of the Newspaper understood.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.
Strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation
One of the most discussed issues in the West is whether to use the weapons supplied to Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory. The United States opposes such attacks. But the positions of other Western countries on this issue differ significantly.
For example, the military and political leadership of Sweden stated that it has nothing against the Armed Forces of Ukraine using weapons supplied by Stockholm to attack targets in the Russian Federation.
Recently, the Swedish government agreed on additional military assistance to Kiev in the amount of 75 billion kronor (about $ 7 billion). The Swedes are supplying Ukraine with self-propelled artillery Archer howitzers with a range of 60 km. But the Swedish military department also has TAURUS KEPD 350/150 air cruise missiles with a firing range of 500 km. And Stockholm has repeatedly raised the issue of their transfer to Kiev.
Image source: Alina Dzhus/"Newspaper.Ru"
The United Kingdom has already allowed Kiev to use its weapons to attack Crimea. First of all, we are talking about Storm Shadow missiles, whose supplies from London are only increasing.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala considered it possible for Ukraine to use foreign weapons to strike targets on Russian territory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also believes that Ukraine should be able to use Western weapons to strike legitimate targets on Russian territory. Such a discussion is only growing.
"Ready to send the military"
In addition to weapons, individual NATO countries are ready to send military personnel to the zone of their own. This issue continues to be discussed in Paris. Kiev, of course, warmly welcomes such steps, and has already prepared all the necessary documents. And the Baltic states have already stated that they can send their fighters and commanders to Ukraine. They also believe that if the front collapses in Ukraine, their contingents of ground forces will have to be sent to the zone of their own.
In addition to France and the Baltic States, Poland is also talking about sending troops to Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski made a similar move. Earlier, the diplomat had already expressed support for the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.
"We should not rule out any possibility," Sikorski said in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza.
But so far there is no agreement on strikes by Western weapons on Russian territory and the sending of NATO military contingents to the zone of its own in Europe.
"Cross the line"
Washington expresses fears that sending the military of the North Atlantic Alliance to the special operation zone will make NATO a direct participant in the conflict.
But such attitudes can be easily revised. Let's remind everyone of the well-known truths. At first, Germany was limited to supplying only uniforms, equipment and medical equipment to its zone, and in Berlin they declared that they would never cross this line. Then the latest German tanks and anti-aircraft missile systems went to Ukraine.
At the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden categorically objected to the transfer of F-16 multifunctional fighter jets to Kiev. But later his position was significantly adjusted, and the Pentagon is currently training pilots on the F-16 for the Ukrainian Air Force. And there are dozens of such examples.
So the position of the United States and its allies regarding possible involvement in the conflict in Ukraine can easily be reconsidered.
Among other things, NATO is already practicing nuclear strikes against Russia.
In such an environment, it is quite possible that the confrontation in Ukraine will escalate, and this is no exaggeration, to a global level. The Third World War is already knocking on the door.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military-Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
