At a crisis meeting aimed at reaching a consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s peace talks with Russia, European countries were at odds over the deployment of troops to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish and Spanish leaders all expressed opposition to the deployment of peacekeeping troops to the war-torn country, just hours after the UK offered to make ground troops available for deployment in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump spoke before the Paris summit and according to sources familiar with the meeting, France proposed stationing a troop behind the front lines, not on a future ceasefire line in Ukraine.
Scholz described the discussion about troop deployment as “highly inappropriate” since the war is still ongoing. “The discussion is completely premature and comes at the wrong time” he said, reiterating his cautionary stance on the issue of deploying soldiers in Ukraine, which he has maintained since the beginning of the conflict.
Meloni reportedly told her colleagues that she hesitates to send European troops to Ukraine, considering it “the most complex and unlikely option.”
In contrast, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his willingness to consider the deployment of British troops if a lasting peace agreement is in place in Ukraine.
European allies of Washington are scrambling to respond to Trump’s shocking announcement of peace talks with Russia, which began on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. Trump has also demanded higher defense spending from European nations. Some European capitals fear that Trump will soon wash his hands of the matter and ask the continent to ensure Ukraine’s security after a ceasefire, which would require a significant increase in financial and military resources.