By NewsBits
High-ranking officials in the Netherlands, Estonia, and Lithuania do not exclude the possibility of sending their military to Ukraine.
Several Western media reported on this, citing high-ranking officials.
Officials of the countries stressed that such assumptions are linked with support personnel who will provide training, help set up processes, and do other work without being involved in hostilities. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that all options are on the table to help Ukraine defeat Russia. Estonian and Ukrainian soldiers at an exercise, March 2023. Source: EDF
“I think that these are also signals that we are sending to Russia that we are not ruling out different options. Because all the countries have realized that we have to do everything to make sure that Ukraine wins and Russia loses this war,” Kallas said on the POLITICO podcast.
Kestutis Budris, Chief National Security Advisor to the President of Lithuania, stated that his country is considering sending its instructors to Ukraine, but the priority is to support them with weapons and ammunition. “We are talking about that possibility, and we are doing this quite openly. There are a lot of nuances about what could happen and under what conditions,” he said.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas also spoke about the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine to conduct exercises. His counterpart, Dutch Defense Minister Onno Eichelsheim, also expressed his opinion on sending his troops to Ukraine. “I think you have to keep all options open to see how you can best support Ukraine,” Eichelsheim said, adding that there are other ways to help Ukraine.
According to the Dutch Minister of Defense, if Western troops go to Ukraine, it should be within the framework of a coalition. As previously reported, French President Emmanuel Macron was the first to speak about the possibility of sending his military to Ukraine.
He noted that there are currently no specific plans to deploy troops, but emphasized that such a possibility should be part of a policy of strategic ambiguity to show Russia that Western countries are ready to take decisive action.
