Slovak PM Says EU, NATO Mulling Troop Deployments in Ukraine

Facts

• Several EU and NATO member-states are weighing the possibility of troop deployments in Ukraine, according to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.¹
• Speaking before a meeting on Monday in the French capital, Fico said a 'restricted document' which laid out the option 'sends shivers down your spine.' He added that this was 'confirmation that the Ukraine strategy of the West has completely failed.'¹
• Addressing the comments later in the day, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron said: 'There was no consensus today to send troops on to the ground in an manner that's official ... But on the dynamic, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything so that Russia cannot win this war.'²
• Amid the stalling of US military aid to Ukraine, Macron also announced that a coalition of European leaders had agreed to provide Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles, though no additional details were provided.²
• The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to suffer on the battlefield due to shortages of ammunition and other key equipment. On Monday, a military spokesman for Ukraine confirmed that troops withdrew from the village of Lastochkyne, which lies just west of the Donetsk city of Avdiivka. Russian troops captured Avdiivka on Feb. 17.³
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US military think tank that tracks troop positions in the conflict, confirmed the fall of Lastochkyne. It added that Russian military bloggers also claimed the capture of Sieverne and Tonenke west of Avdiivka, but ISW said these have not been independently confirmed. ISW further reported that Russia made confirmed gains west of Bakhmut in Donetsk, as well as near Kremmina in western Luhansk.⁴

Sources: ¹POLITICO, ²BBC News, ³The Kyiv Independent and ⁴Understanding War.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by BBC News. Russia must not be allowed to prevail in Ukraine as it would have a hugely detrimental impact on European security. As such, EU countries are working hard to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs and is considering all options to make sure that it can win this conflict. Pres. Putin must not be allowed to advance his expansionist aims.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Aside from the avoidable loss of Ukrainian territory and men throughout this conflict, Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed and Kyiv is now losing the war. More money for arms will simply bring about more death and destruction. Ukraine would never have fought this war against Russia without US and EU weapons. Now that these weapons are running dry, Ukraine must accept the reality that Russia will never cease its defense of the Donbas or Crimea.

Predictions