Any EU military presence in Ukraine set to escalate situation: Russian official

Moscow, Feb 29 (IANS) The presence of Western troops in Ukraine in any form would lead to a "direct escalation" of the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.The Spokesperson added on Wednesday that with every new shipment of weapons, Western nations are already escalating the war, Xinhua news agency reported.If the West decides to officially deploy troops to Ukraine or recruit mercenaries from European Union (EU) states, this would be a "direct escalation," she said.Nonetheless, she also noted that "it was no secret" that military personnel from a number of NATO countries are already present in Ukraine and assisting the country's armed forces in various ways.During a conference in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while there was no official consensus among European leaders, the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine "should not be ruled out".Macron also announced that a new coalition would be set up to supply Kiev with medium- and long-range weapons.--IANSint/khz

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