Europe is far from discussing troops in Ukraine, priority is on ceasefire – Merz and Meloni
Europe is far from talking about deploying military contingents in Ukraine, as all its efforts are currently focused on ensuring an unconditional ceasefire from Russia, German and Italian Prime Ministers Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni said, Reuters reports.
"The next step must be that the format for peace talks is made clear, as well as which security guarantees could possibly, one day, be necessary for Ukraine," Merz said, noting that these issues are currently "unpredictable."
He added that now "there is no reason to talk about [European troops in Ukraine], we are far from that."
"We want the weapons to stop, the killing to end [...] these are the questions we are dedicated to now, and no others," the chancellor said.
The politician's position on peacekeeping forces echoes the statements of his predecessor in office, Olaf Scholz, who also prioritized peace talks over discussions on troop deployment.
The Italian Prime Minister was not present at the meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland in Kyiv on May 10. As Reuters notes, Italian media called the politician's absence a "deliberate disrespect", suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron did not want her to be involved in the event.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Meloni told reporters that Italy was open to any international format aimed at ending the war, but also warned against divisions among partners.
"Western unity has been our greatest strength since the beginning of Russia's [full-scale] invasion. At a delicate time like this, it is important to set aside any personal [differences] that could undermine that unity," the Italian prime minister said.
Also at the same conference, Merz said: "Yesterday's talks in Istanbul ended below our expectations despite the extremely constructive positioning of Ukraine's negotiators."
- On April 4, a visit was made to Ukraine by military representatives from Britain and France, during which the parties discussed preparations and the status of operational planning in order to quickly implement the intentions of the "coalition of the willing" that wants to deploy military contingents in Ukraine in the event of a cessation of hostilities.
On May 10, leaders of the member countries of the "coalition of the willing" arrived in Kyiv. Following the meeting, politicians published a joint statement, which stated that the main element of security guarantees for Ukraine should also be the military contingents of partners ("guarantee forces"). German Chancellor Merz also joined this document.
- On May 13, Trump's special envoy Kellogg said that under the American plan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland could join the "resilience force" to be stationed west of the Dnieper River. Later, Warsaw emphasized that it would not send troops to Ukraine.
