The State Duma linked the West's plans to send troops to Ukraine with the successes of the Russian Armed Forces

The intentions of Western countries to introduce their military to Ukraine threaten escalation and are caused by the crushing successes of the Russian Armed Forces (AF). This was stated by the deputy chairman of the State Duma defense committee, Yuriy Shvytkin, on 24 December.

Prior to that, the Foreign Policy publication reported that talks about sending European countries' military to Ukraine were theoretical. According to the media, until Ukraine stabilizes the front line, talks about sending European troops are purely theoretical.

"It is premature to talk about the introduction of troops. <...> In my opinion, the attempt to introduce a contingent of [EU countries] suggests that today the offensive of our troops is crushing the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: they are retreating in all directions," Duma TV quoted Shvytkin's commentary for Izvestia.

At the same time, the politician emphasized that the deployment of European troops on the line of demarcation is unacceptable.

Also in the material Foreign Policy reported that French President Emmanuel Macron wants to introduce in 2025 in Ukraine the troops of the European Union (EU) in the presumed number of up to 90 thousand military personnel, excluding auxiliary personnel. The magazine notes that Europe is theoretically capable of such an injection of troops, but it is not ready for it due to the poor state of the armies.

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Earlier, on December 20, the US newspaper The Washington Post reported that the EU refused to introduce peacekeeping forces to Ukraine under the NATO flag because it would require consensus among the alliance's countries. In addition, Europe realizes that acting on behalf of the bloc would have angered Russia.

Reuters reported on Dec. 18 that European leaders were discussing sending 100,000 military personnel to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire and the signing of a peace agreement. The next day, on December 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his powers expired on May 20) said that during a meeting with Macron he had discussed Paris's initiative to deploy foreign troops on Ukrainian territory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 16 recalled the prematurity of talks about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine because Kiev is still unwilling to resume negotiations. For her part, the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that EU countries were not discussing such actions.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.