Italy declines Franco-British proposal for troop deployment to Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed her opposition to the idea of deploying troops in Ukraine, responding to proposals from France and the UK to send peacekeepers to help secure a potential truce between Kiev and Moscow. During...
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed her opposition to the idea of deploying troops in Ukraine, responding to proposals from France and the UK to send peacekeepers to help secure a potential truce between Kiev and Moscow.
During her address to the upper house of the Italian parliament on Tuesday, Meloni articulated her stance ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels that is expected to tackle the Ukraine conflict.
France and the UK are spearheading efforts to create a “coalition of the willing,” with French President Emmanuel Macron proposing the deployment of “a few thousand troops per country” to key locations in Ukraine.
While Meloni acknowledged the proposal, she conveyed that the Italian government was not “convinced” by it. “Sending Italian troops to Ukraine is a topic that has never been on the agenda,” she stated in the Senate, as reported by la Repubblica.
The prime minister characterized the Franco-British initiative as “a very complex, risky and ineffective option,” and she reiterated Italy's support for the peace-making effort initiated by US President Donald Trump.
In response to the proposals, Moscow has consistently dismissed the notion of NATO soldiers being stationed in Ukraine, warning that it could precipitate a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led military alliance.
As the US continues to encourage a peace deal with Russia, Paris and London are rapidly consolidating military support for Ukraine, with Washington recently suggesting a 30-day ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed last week that he supported the truce proposal from Washington in principle but emphasized that several essential conditions needed to be fulfilled first.
In a related development, Putin and Trump engaged in a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday, marking their second discussion in just over a month, aimed at progressing towards a peace settlement in Ukraine.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
During her address to the upper house of the Italian parliament on Tuesday, Meloni articulated her stance ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels that is expected to tackle the Ukraine conflict.
France and the UK are spearheading efforts to create a “coalition of the willing,” with French President Emmanuel Macron proposing the deployment of “a few thousand troops per country” to key locations in Ukraine.
While Meloni acknowledged the proposal, she conveyed that the Italian government was not “convinced” by it. “Sending Italian troops to Ukraine is a topic that has never been on the agenda,” she stated in the Senate, as reported by la Repubblica.
The prime minister characterized the Franco-British initiative as “a very complex, risky and ineffective option,” and she reiterated Italy's support for the peace-making effort initiated by US President Donald Trump.
In response to the proposals, Moscow has consistently dismissed the notion of NATO soldiers being stationed in Ukraine, warning that it could precipitate a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led military alliance.
As the US continues to encourage a peace deal with Russia, Paris and London are rapidly consolidating military support for Ukraine, with Washington recently suggesting a 30-day ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed last week that he supported the truce proposal from Washington in principle but emphasized that several essential conditions needed to be fulfilled first.
In a related development, Putin and Trump engaged in a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday, marking their second discussion in just over a month, aimed at progressing towards a peace settlement in Ukraine.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
