Germany and Italy say Europe is still focused on ending the war in Ukraine — not on sending soldiers.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made it clear: troop discussions aren’t on the table right now.
"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. He added that those issues remain uncertain for now.
He continued, "There is no reason to talk about troops at the moment, 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."
Merz and Meloni spoke a day after leaders from France, Germany, the UK, and Poland met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a summit in Albania. U.S. President Donald Trump also joined the discussion by phone and later confirmed he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Meloni wasn’t part of the Albania meeting — something Italian outlets say wasn’t an accident. Reports suggest French President Emmanuel Macron may have intentionally left her out.
Still, Meloni said Italy is willing to join any global effort to bring the war to an end. But she warned that cracks in Western unity would be dangerous.
"Western unity has been our greatest strength since the beginning of Russia's invasion," she said. "At a delicate time like this, it is important to set aside any personal (differences) that could undermine that unity."
Meanwhile, the EU is preparing another round of sanctions targeting Russia, after peace talks between Ukraine and Russia — the first in three years — failed to produce a ceasefire. Russia did agree to keep talking, but expectations weren’t met.
"Yesterday's talks in Istanbul ended below our expectations despite the extremely constructive positioning of Ukraine's negotiators," Merz said.
His cautious approach echoes that of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also focused on peace negotiations over military involvement.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shown openness to sending peacekeepers — but only if there’s strong U.S. support for European forces.
Russia, for its part, continues to firmly reject any NATO troops entering Ukraine.
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