TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Europe's military support to Ukraine may spark a nuclear crisis between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said prominent Cold War figure from Poland and Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa.
"It may cause a nuclear war," said the anti-Communist leader to the press commenting whether it is necessary for the European Union (EU) to send reinforcements to Ukraine to help the embattled nation fight pro-Russian rebels and defend itself against possible Russian incursions, according to AFP reports.
"The EU needs to realize that both NATO and Russia possess nuclear weapons. Must we commit to a mutually assured destruction?" said the former labour solidarity union leader, whose name rose to fame during a bloodless coup in 1989, which essentially brought communism in Poland to its end.
"This is why the EU keeps on repeating: stop being silly! This is why they are not getting involved too much," said Walesa at an annual economic summit at Krynica in southern Poland.
On Saturday, the EU has agreed on imposing fresh sanctions on Russia if Moscow refuses to change its stance in Ukraine, after Kiev reported that members of the Russian military is fighting side by side with the rebels in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin retaliated on Monday by accusing Europe of neglecting the fact on the ground that Ukrainian forces are deliberately targeting civilians in conflict-ridden Eastern Ukraine.
From Yakutsk in eastern Siberia, President Putin had said in a televised statement that Ukrainian forces are deliberately aiming their fire at residential areas - a fact that many nations, including European nations, have chosen to ignore.
He had also said that the pro-Russian rebels were there simply to protect civilians in the region. "The rebels are fighting to push back the army and their heavy artilleries, to stop them from shooting at residential areas," added Putin.
Putin has repeatedly called for talks between Kiev and representatives from Eastern Ukraine in order to solve the ongoing crisis.
The President has come under fire in recent weeks for a comment that quoted him of saying that Russia can overrun Kiev in two weeks. Italian newspaper La Repubblica ran a story last week saying that in a telephone conversation, Putin had allegedly told the President of the European Commission (EC) Jose Manuel Barroso, that he 'could take over Kiev in two weeks' if he wanted to.
Kremlin has since denied Putin had issued such a threat.
ANTARA | BOYKE SOEKAPDJO | B KUNTO WIBISONO