Macron proposed to deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine behind front line, but 4 countries refused — FT
French President Emmanuel Macron, who convened an emergency summit of leaders in Paris, proposed that European peacekeeping forces be stationed behind the future demarcation line, rather than directly on it. However, some countries refused, as reported by the Financial Times, which refers to its own sources.
Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland have all spoken out against sending their troops. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called such a discussion “highly inappropriate and completely premature” as the war in Ukraine is still ongoing.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni said she was hesitant about sending European troops to Ukraine, calling it "the most difficult and least effective" of the various options.
Spanish Foreign MinisterJosé Manuel Albares said that currently "no one is considering the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine," while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that she was "open to discussing many different things," including the deployment of troops in Ukraine.
"But I would also like to emphasize that there are very, very many things that need to be clarified before we get to this situation, because we are talking about the safety of our men and women," the politician stated.
More about Macron’s summit
French President Emmanuel Macron convened an informal summit of European leaders in Paris on February 17 to discuss the situation in Ukraine and security on the continent.
European leaders are trying to convince US President Donald Trump not to rush into peace talks with Russia, Bloomberg reported.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the meeting would discuss how to prevent peace talks on Ukraine from ending up as a reward for Russian aggression. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said the summit would also discuss sending European troops to Ukraine after the war, Aktuality reported.
According to the latest information, the meeting was to be attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and two top EU officials are also invited - European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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