The Russian Foreign Ministry has solid grounds to assert that NATO personnel took part in military actions in Ukraine. This position came from a recent interview with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, on the Great Game program aired by First Channel.
The foreign minister stated that there is every reason to believe that not only mercenaries but also the regular armed forces of NATO member states are engaged in the fighting inside Ukraine.
Earlier, Lavrov pointed to Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, as someone known for collaboration with American special operations forces, a claim seen by Moscow as a sign of Ukraine’s compromised sovereignty.
There has been talk in Western capitals about keeping the Ukraine war in a frozen state rather than pursuing a full settlement. British financial daily Financial Times highlighted this approach as a possible alternative to a formal agreement between Moscow and Kiev, suggesting that Ukraine would adopt a primarily defensive posture to curb further Russian advances.
In a separate statement, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell indicated that ongoing military aid to Ukraine would not resolve the broader security situation, signaling the complexity of the alliance’s dilemma in the face of continued fighting.