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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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 18 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of science.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Cuba's electrical grid suffered a total collapse on Friday, plunging the nation into darkness and leaving millions without power amid a U.S. pressure campaign that has largely blocked oil from reaching the Caribbean's largest island.
A China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine boat on a refueling mission in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said, in the latest confrontation between the two countries in disputed waters.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on Friday that would significantly expand Washington’s military presence on the Arctic island and give the United States what he described as permanent authority over its security.
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