Putin, Medvedev amp up nuclear rhetoric; Macron responds by discussing NATO troops, says diplomat

French President Emmanuel Macron began talking about the possible deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine after repeated threats of nuclear weapons from Moscow, reported the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2007-2009, Volodymyr Ogrysko, in an interview with LIGA.net.

According to him, recently Vladimir Putin started talking about the use of nuclear weapons, and after him – the former "president" of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev followed suit.

"This was another 'pass' for Western states. Macron accepted it and started talking about NATO troops in Ukraine in response," Ogrysko said.

He noted that the possibility of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine should not be rejected and gave an example of the transformation of Germany's position — if two years ago Berlin sent only medical supplies and helmets, today it is the second supplier of weapons to Kyiv.

The diplomat said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, who categorically denies the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, is afraid of the historical memory of the Second World War.

"For them, crossing over the idea that the Germans are fighting again is not even Everest, it is even higher. For them, the idea of German soldiers in Ukraine is an insurmountable barrier for now, but it will not always be like that. It is only a matter of time," the ex-minister concluded.

At a meeting on support for Ukraine, which was called by Emmanuel Macron on February 26, European leaders discussed the possibility of sending NATO ground troops to Ukraine.

At a meeting with parliamentary parties, the French leader said that sending troops to Ukraine is possible in the event of a potential Russian breakthrough to Kyiv or Odesa.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that he "does not want the generation to grow up in a world of threats", commenting on Macron's statement about the possible deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine in the future.

On March 5, Macron made it clear that his statement about the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine was "the opening of the debate."

Czech President Petr Pavel also said that the West should not "close the possibilities of supporting Ukraine" and called for the expansion of forms of assistance, in particular, a possible presence in Ukraine.