NATO chief rules out sending troops to Ukraine

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Thursday that the military alliance has no plans to send troops to Ukraine and that Moscow is not an “imminent” threat to Western countries.

“NATO has no plans to deploy forces to Ukraine,” said Stoltenberg during his visit to Finland where he held a joint press conference with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.

“We don't see any imminent military threat against any NATO ally. And now, of course, Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine,” he reassured while at the same time suggesting that “when the fighting ends in Ukraine, they can rebuild those forces.”

NATO has the strongest alliance in the world and the purpose of standing together is “one for all, all for one,” Stoltenberg added, emphasizing that the aim is to “prevent an attack.”

“So, this idea that there is a kind of countdown to the next war is wrong. We are there to prevent that from happening. We have done so for 75 years,” he told reporters at the Helsinki conference.

Stubb also confirmed that Finland has no plans to deploy troops in Ukraine, and instead, it is exploring various other options, including “financial, military or ammunition” support.

Stubb agreed with the secretary-general and said that it is unlikely that Moscow will “deviate” from its current attack on Ukraine.

“The whole idea that a country like Russia will somehow attack the biggest military alliance in the world, I simply find rather implausible,” Stubb reassured.

The president also emphasized that the best way to “prevent” the war is “to prepare for it.”

“We look at different scenarios every day, every week, every month. We have our operational planning, which is based on realities, which are based on knowledge of what the Russians are doing what they could do.”

Stubb ended by saying that right now there is no military threat by Moscow against Finland, Sweden, Norway, or the Baltic states.

In May, Stoltenberg urged the US and the NATO countries in the EU to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles for strikes inside Russia.

While European Union High Representative Josep Borrell thinks that Western leaders should avoid “risking escalation” by allowing Ukraine forces to use weapons on Russian territory.

However, he also pointed out during a meeting in Brussels held last month that self-defense strikes against military targets on Russian territory "are a legitimate act under international law when done in a proportionate manner."

Borrell stressed that each EU member state should decide on an individual basis when it comes to the issue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in May threatened the West with "serious consequences" if Ukraine is allowed to use Western long-range weapons on Russian territory, according to national newspaper The Moscow Times.

The president warned that Kyiv striking inside Russia could trigger a global conflict.