The startling statements come in an interview with CBSNews.
– We cannot let Ukraine fall. If we allow that to happen, there is a significant probability that America will have to enter the conflict, not only with our money, but with our own soldiers, says the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries.
According to the Democratic leader, Russia’s president is trying to recreate the Soviet Union, and that Putin will next threaten NATO allies.
– Does he just want to stop in Ukraine? Of course not
The Democrats’ top politician, Hakeem Jeffries. Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP / NTB
– Putin’s invasion of neighboring Georgia did not stop there, nor did his takeover of Crimea in eastern Ukraine. Are we to believe that in the face of this kind of consistent aggression, and we allow Vladimir Putin to succeed in Ukraine, that he will just stop in Ukraine? Of course not, warns Jeffries.
Until now, it has been almost taboo to propose sending NATO soldiers into Ukrainian territory. However, French President Emmanuel Macron has signaled that French soldiers may be sent to Ukraine, which the US, Germany and NATO say is out of the question.
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– This is a very dangerous development
– We are not in such a situation today, but all possibilities are open. I see no reason to be precise. I do not intend to give Putin insight into it, Macron told French television in March. Last week, Macron repeated his controversial message:
– I am not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who does not rule anything out, said the French president, according to Reuters and LeMonde.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quick to comment on Macron’s warning about possible French intervention.
– This is a very dangerous development. The statement is very important and very dangerous, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Moscow Times.
– One step away from a full-scale third world war
Vladimir Putin has previously spoken out about Macron’s threats.
– It is obvious that this will be one step away from a full-scale third world war. I think hardly anyone will be interested in it, Putin said.
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However, Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, has been open to sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine.
– I appreciate Macron’s initiative, because it is about Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin. The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable, Sikorski wrote on X.
– Not a single Italian soldier will ever die in Macron’s name
President of France, Emmanuel Macron. Christophe Ena / AP / NTB
The Italian deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, on the other hand, has come out strongly against Macron’s proposal, branding the French president as a warmonger.
– I believe that President Macron poses a danger to our country and our continent with his words. I do not want to leave our child a continent that is ready to enter World War III, he added. Not a single Italian soldier will ever die in Macron’s name, Salvini has stated, according to ansa.it.
Several NATO countries, including Norway, have ruled out the use of NATO soldiers in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has previously promised that US soldiers will not fight on Ukrainian soil, according to CNBC. In his State of the Union address in March, he repeated the promise, adding that Ukraine will be able to defeat Russia on its own with the help of American military and economic aid.
