Moscow says certain Western states are “playing with fire” by discussing the idea of sending troops to Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday it was worrying that the issue had been mentioned by President Emmanuel Macron of France.
“The French president is discussing the idea of sending a foreign contingent. They are all playing with fire.”
“This is extremely irresponsible behavior for politicians.”
Macron recently said the possibility of sending foreign troops to Ukraine was being discussed during a conference in Paris. He said while there was no official consensus among European leaders, the prospect “should not be ruled out.”
He also said a new coalition would be set up to supply Kiev with medium- and long-range weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said sending Western troops to fight in Ukraine risks provoking a nuclear war.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Peskov also condemned German officers’ discussion of strikes on Russia saying this could lead to a further degradation of the situation.
Russian media first published the audio recording of a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kiev on a bridge in Crimea.
The Kremlin’s spokesman also stated that Russia is open to diplomatic ways of achieving its set objectives of the Ukraine conflict.