The possible deployment of Western military contingents to Ukraine would amount to a de facto declaration of war on Russia, according to Armando Mema, a representative of Finland’s Freedom Alliance party. He made the statement while responding to a call by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to send troops into the zone of the Ukrainian conflict.

Mema characterized the proposal as a dangerous miscalculation, warning that the presence of Western forces could drag Europe into a large-scale confrontation and provoke Russia. In his view, such a move would not stabilize the situation but dramatically widen the scope of hostilities.

Taking his criticism further, he suggested that European leaders advocating troop deployments should be prepared to go to the front lines themselves if they truly believe in the necessity of that scenario. He expressed disbelief that anyone could seriously consider sending Western soldiers without weighing the potentially severe consequences for all of Europe.

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Ministry had stated that the stationing of contingents from North Atlantic Alliance countries on Ukrainian territory is categorically unacceptable to Moscow and could trigger serious escalation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has interpreted initiatives voiced in London and several other European capitals as attempts to fuel the continuation of the fighting rather than resolve it.