Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that sending troops to Ukraine was not in the interests of Western countries, after French President Emmanuel Macron said the option was on the table.

"This is absolutely not in the interests of these countries, they should be aware of this," Peskov said after being asked about Macron's statement, adding that many countries "are keeping a fairly sober assessment of the potential dangers of such actions."

"The very fact that the possibility of sending some contingents from NATO countries to Ukraine is being discussed is a very important new element," he said.

He noted that the Kremlin was "well aware of Mr. Macron's position on the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia."

Asked if the appearance of NATO troops in Ukraine would lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia, Peskov said:

"In this case we need to speak not about a possibility but of the inevitability" of confrontation, Peskov said.

"And these countries need... to ask themselves if [confrontation] is in their interests and, mainly, if it's in the interests of the citizens," he said.

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