Speaking in an interview with the state PAP news agency, Paweł Jabłoński said that “NATO isn’t planning to send its forces to Ukraine as Kyiv is not a member of the alliance.”
His words echoed the statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who told the BBC on Sunday the alliance would not be sending its combat troops to Ukraine, in the event of a Russian invasion.
“But this doesn’t mean NATO will be passive in this matter,” Jabłoński emphasised.
He said both NATO and the European Union were “taking very firm steps to avert a conflict around Ukraine,” by boosting the forces on NATO’s eastern flank and adopting political measures, such as sanctions.
“These steps are designed to show the Russian President Vladimir Putin what may happen to him in case of a further escalation,” the deputy foreign minister stated.
He also referred to remarks by the British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said on Sunday that this week would see the announcement of new UK regulations extending the sanctions on Russian companies and entrepreneurs.
“At the moment, sanctions are the only language that the Russian President Vladimir Putin understands,” Jabłoński said, adding that diplomatic efforts also had to be kept up.
The diplomat stressed that “the situation is very serious indeed,” and so Great Britain, the United States and the EU “are exchanging information every day, and preparing a coordinated and firm response to Russia’s actions.”
“This response will be prepared soon,” the deputy foreign minister stated.
'Unwavering support for Ukraine'
Meanwhile, Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau is set to visit Estonia later on Monday, to discuss bilateral issues and regional security with the country’s leaders, Jabłoński told PAP.
On Tuesday, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will pay a visit to Ukraine, having warned on Sunday against “Russian neo-imperialism” and declared Warsaw’s “unwavering support” for Kyiv.
Russia's deployment of troops near Ukraine has raised fears in the West that Moscow, which seized Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and has since backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, may be poised for a new attack, the Reuters news agency has reported.
Russia has denied plans for an assault but says it could take unspecified military action if its security demands, including a ban on NATO expansion, are not met, according to Reuters.
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Source: PAP