Russia Reacts With Nuclear Drills Amid NATO's Ukraine Troop Deployment Talk

Kremlin announced on Monday that Russia's forthcoming nuclear drills were planned in response to "unprecedented" comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron and British representatives about potentially sending NATO troops into Ukraine.

The decision to conduct these drills, ordered by President Vladimir Putin, was explained as a reaction to unspecified Western "threats" as per the defence ministry's announcement, as reported by Hindustan Times citing AFP.

Russia Reacts With Nuclear Drills

When asked by reporters about the reasons behind the drills, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the statements made by Macron and British representatives were the catalyst. These statements indicated readiness and intentions to deploy armed contingents to Ukraine, effectively positioning NATO soldiers against the Russian military, as reported by Hindustan Times.

According to Peskov, this situation represents a new level of escalating tensions, which is unprecedented and necessitates special measures. Macron's remarks last week suggested that sending troops to Ukraine would be a legitimate consideration if Russia breached the Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv requested such assistance.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Macron in February. In a recent interview, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that Ukraine has the "right" to strike targets inside Russia. Ukrainian forces have relied on Western military aid in their conflict with Russia, although NATO has clarified that it will not deploy troops into Ukraine, as per media reports.