Should NATO be putting boots on the ground in Ukraine?

I think that if NATO were to directly arm Ukraine Putin would escalate the war because he believes that Russia is threatened by it's very existence.

A former Chief of General Staff suggested that rather than give Ukraine our planes that their air force aren't trained to fly, Poland and the surrounding countries should give them their planes which should be replaced by our more up to date planes. Apparently the Ukrainian pilots could fly those.
Giving Ukraine British or American planes with pilots would be seen as an act of aggression by Putin.

I do think that we should give Ukraine much more support than it is currently receiving and I also think that every country which is currently receiving Russian gas and crude oil should stop buying it immediately, regardless of the effect on their own country.

A former Chief of General Staff suggested that rather than give Ukraine our planes that their air force aren't trained to fly, Poland and the surrounding countries should give them their planes which should be replaced by our more up to date planes. Apparently the Ukrainian pilots could fly those.

I read that this was being done a couple of weeks ago. The UK has also sent out military to Poland to give training where necessary with all weapons.

That's good news because I heard this general being interviewed at the weekend.

No ,the very fact there are NATO bases surrounding Russia is a problem...to be honest I would see it as a huge problem if Russia had bases surrounding my country,so I can understand it .We cant escalate the war .We need a way out of it

At the risk of being labelled an appeaser, we dare not use NATO forces inside Ukraine, but there is nothing to stop the west arming the Ukrainians either directly or, as has been lauded to already, indirectly by arming Poland etc so that they can release ex Soviet armaments with which the Ukrainian forces are more familiar. I am pretty certain that Ukrainian forces will be being trained by British instructors either close to the borders or within U.K.

Ukrainian forces are largely NATO trained, that is why they have been so effective.

No, we should not put boots on Ukrainian ground. We must give every help possible in the way of supplying weapons etc, and we should put more sanctions against Russia, but to actually send troops could lead to a serious escalation.
I too can understand why Russia feels threatened, but if they behaved themselves they would have no need to.

paddyann54

No ,the very fact there are NATO bases surrounding Russia is a problem...to be honest I would see it as a huge problem if Russia had bases surrounding my country,so I can understand it .We cant escalate the war .We need a way out of it

Russia is hardly surrounded by NATO bases. Only 6% of Russia's land borders touch NATO countries. Nato is a defensive alliance, not an aggressive one. They have reached out to Russia in the past and have worked together in many areas and only suspended collaboration in 2014 after the Russian invasion of Crimea.

I am against a NATO force inside Ukraine whilst Russia is still carrying out its special operation

Even the blue beret NATO peace keepers are heavily armed whenever/wherever they are deployed. President Putin would use this as an excuse to attack NATO Countries.

We need to keep supplying Ukraine with anything that they can use. The problem of Putin’s nuclear threat remains and the situation could escalate. Personally I think we need to start sanctions against those countries that support Russia eg by buying their oil and supplying arms. Top of the list being India and China. It’s time for them to pick a side and accept that if they won’t condemn Putin that economic sanctions will be put on them by the Western world. I can’t understand why we’re not looking harder at our trade with China. They’re a disgrace with regards to human rights.

I think if Putin is backed even more into a corner he will go nuclear..

Personally I think we need to start sanctions against those countries that support Russia eg by buying their oil and supplying arms. Top of the list being India and China

I wish you luck with sanctions against China!

This is not a statistic, just the impression I get as a consumer, but it 'feels' as though 90% of everything we buy is made in China! Our shops would empty pretty fast if we were to put an embargo on Chinese goods...

As to the thread's question, we should in no way put boots on the ground in Ukraine. It would make Putin's day...

Agree with Shinamae.

In the past we have had many GNs remembering the old CND rallies and being opposed to investment in the arms trade. Where is everyone now?

Europe is heavily dependant on other countries that ate potential enemies, China and Russia principally, we really should develop home industries to independant or at least less dependant on potentially hostile suppliers.

If we don’t, one of them could cut off supplies and cripple the whole continent, and in the case of electronics that could probably be done now.

I understand that if a single NATO boot is put on Ukrainian soil, Russia would immediately attack any NATO country it likes. I’m hoping that Sweden and Finland join NATO pdq. I know it will annoy Putin enormously, but he must realise that he has very few supporters outside Belarus and one or two others.

In an interview several weeks ago a wise Ukrainian lady said, "I don't want you (NATO) to risk the lives of your children to save my parents."
My son is in the military and I think that she is right.

Pittcity what a heart warming response from that lady. Bless her soul. But it’s heartbreaking when we see what’s going on in Mariupol right now. The bombing and shelling of innocent civilians including children, and the injured soldiers who we’ve been told are dying without medicines and treatment, and are dying in agony. How can we all close our eyes to this and think only of ourselves?

I hope we don't see NATO boots on the ground. It would be an act of aggression with possibly devastating consequences. We need to support the Ukrainians but not potentially sacrifice our service people for them. I feel for anyone with family in the military just now.

winterwhite

Agree with Shinamae.

In the past we have had many GNs remembering the old CND rallies and being opposed to investment in the arms trade. Where is everyone now?

I am here. Hello winterwhite.

So as someone who always supported CND I still think it's right to work towards nuclear disarmament through dialogue.
- NATO expansion eastwards has caused even more tensions.
- The Minsk agreements weren't properly honoured.

Where we are today is more troublesome... I don't think we can have meaningful conversations with Putin - but struggle with the knowledge that we are standing by watching this genocide.

I get what you're saying Maddyone. It seems wrong to stand by and watch Russia to just invade a country, bomb and destroy it and massacre civilians.

What happens if Russia invades a NATO country?

Thank you nadateurbe. It does feel wrong to me. I’m just as scared as the next person of an escalation of the war and the horrible possibility of nuclear weapons, or biological weapons being used in Europe or even here in the UK. I argued (in a friendly way) with my son when this all started because he thought that the west/Nato/Europe should not allow this to happen, whereas I took the view that the threat of nuclear war was too great for us to be involved. However as I’ve watched events unfold in Ukraine I’ve changed my opinion. I ask myself how we can justify our inaction. I know we’ve provided weapons, both the UK and others, I know we’ve applied sanctions, and I know we’re working towards being Russian oil and gas free. War is awful, I know that, but I feel so guilty for the attitude of the west, which is doing so little to bring this horrendous war to an end. In the thirties it was ‘peace in our time’ but in the twenty twenties it feels much the same to me at any rate.

If Russia invades a NATO country, we’ll be in, whatever the cost will be. That’s why Sweden and Finland are in a rush to join NATO. There’s a real threat to those countries. Putin doesn’t respect neutrality anymore than Hitler did.

No we shouldn’t …..what everyone else has said quickest way to escalate to the world gone in a puff of nuclear