The crisis in Ukraine risks escalating significantly as Russia has warned that any military intervention by NATO countries in the strategic port of Odesa would lead to a direct clash with the Alliance. According to Moscow, plans are underway for the deployment of Franco-British troops in southern Ukraine, a move that the Kremlin describes as “an immediate threat to national security.”
“Any presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, regardless of the flag, insignia, or declared mandate, will be considered by Russia as a threat to its security and will carry the risk of direct confrontation with the entire Alliance,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a media conference.
She emphasized that on April 3 and 4, a high-level meeting was held in Kyiv between the chiefs of staff of the Ukrainian, French, and British armies. According to Zakharova, this meeting caused internal tensions within the Ukrainian government, as no concrete agreement was reached regarding the presence of allied troops on the ground.
Russia’s warning comes at a time when another tension is rising between Ukraine and China. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that two Chinese soldiers were arrested in Ukrainian territory under suspicion of fighting alongside Russian forces.
China has dismissed these accusations, calling them unfounded. “There is no evidence for such a thing,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reminding that Beijing has maintained a neutral stance on the war and has proposed several times platforms for peace negotiations, although it has not clearly condemned Russia’s actions thus far.
