Kiev executed two bombing attacks on the bridge in October 2022 and July 2023, using a truck and naval drones. Civilians were killed on both occasions. Ukrainian officials claim that destroying the bridge has a military purpose.

Some Western officials have made similar arguments, such as former US defense secretary and CIA director Roberts Gates in an interview with the Washington Post last week.

"If you want to give the Russians a pause, if you want to interrupt that sense of momentum that they have, why not be able to do things like drop the Kerch Strait Bridge?" he said.

Gates urged Western donors to give Ukraine the capability to do that, saying a successful attack would hurt the Russians "psychologically as well as militarily."

Survey results published on Thursday by French newspaper Le Figaro showed that 68% of respondents disapproved of Macron's comments on a possible future NATO deployment to the war-torn state, while just 31% said they agreed. The remainder, just 1%, were undecided.

Estonia is "not afraid" of Russia and thinks sending NATO ground troops to Ukraine ought to be under consideration, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has told Sky News in an interview aired on Wednesday.

So far, only Estonia and Lithuania have expressed any enthusiasm for the idea of escalating NATO support to Kiev beyond deliveries of weapons, ammunition, and money.

"We shouldn't be afraid of our own power. Russia is saying this or that step is escalation, but defense is not escalation," Kallas told Sky. "I'm saying we should have all options on the table. What more can we do in order to really help Ukraine win?"

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron argued that the US-led bloc should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, or any other options. Most members of the bloc have since distanced themselves from the idea - except two of the former Soviet Baltic republics.

On Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged NATO to "think outside the box." Meanwhile, the country's ambassador to Sweden, Linas Linkevicius, said the bloc would "neutralize" the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad if Moscow "dares to challenge NATO."

Addressing the US House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Austin once again urged lawmakers to approve additional funding for Kiev's war effort, painting a grim picture for NATO allies.

"If you are a Baltic state, you are really worried about whether you are next... And, frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia," the Pentagon chief said.

Austin went on to claim that "other autocrats around the world will look at this and will be encouraged by the fact that this happened and we failed to support a democracy."

The outlet RTVI asked Peskov to comment a report from The Times which claimed that Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the UK armed forces, has helped make "battle plans" for Ukraine.

"In general, it's no secret that the British really provide different forms of support [to Ukraine]. People on the ground and intelligence and so on and so forth," Peskov said. "That is, they are actually directly involved in this conflict."

According to the British outlet, citing a Ukrainian military source, Radakin "is understood to have helped the Ukrainians with the strategy to destroy Russian ships and open up the Black Sea," and seen as "invaluable in coordinating support from other senior chiefs in NATO."

The admiral also reportedly visited Kiev and met with President Vladimir Zelensky, to discuss Ukraine's strategy and the ways in which the West could help.

The Kremlin doesn't have specific information related to Radakin, but "probably our military knows about this," Peskov said.

Radakin, 58, was due to retire in November after three years as chief of the defense staff, but will stay on the job for another year at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's request, the Times reported. One source told the outlet that the British government considered it important to retain "continuity" ahead of the upcoming general election.

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