NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said NATO has no plans to deploy troops to Ukraine, nor did Kyiv request the bloc to send boots on the ground.

“NATO has no intention of deploying forces in Ukraine. When I visited Ukraine last week the Ukrainians did not ask for NATO troops, what they asked for was more support,” said Stoltenberg during an official visit to Italy.

As reported by Italian news outlet ANSA, Stoltenberg also said the delay of Western arms delivery to Ukraine has allowed Russia to gain ground in recent months.

“The situation on the battlefield is very difficult, I visited Kyiv last week and they updated me on the challenges they face: Russia has gained ground and there is a risk that it will gain further ground,” he said.