Italy does not plan to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, remains committed to 'effective security guarantees'
Italy does not plan to participate in a peacekeeping force on the ground in eastern Ukraine to guarantee a potential ceasefire, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on March 15.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted an online summit of the "coalition of the willing" earlier on March 15. Attendees discussed how each nation could contribute to securing Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
Meloni attended the U.K.-led virtual summit on March 15 alongside 24 other nations at the multilateral event.
Italy does not have plans to participate in a peacekeeping force on the ground in Ukraine, a statement put out by Meloni's office following the meeting read.
Italy will continue to work with European and Western allies to "define credible and effective security guarantees" for Ukraine, the statement added.
Following the summit, Ukraine's allies reaffirmed their support for the embattled nation and condemned Russia for its war against Ukraine.
"Russia does not give the impression of a country that sincerely desires peace... It does not respond to the proposals of the United States and Ukraine. It intensifies hostilities. President Putin wants to get everything and then negotiate," French President Emmanuel Macron said.
While the U.K. and France have been the most vocal in supporting troops on the ground in Ukraine, leaders of other nations have expressed reservations about a military force.
"It is still too early to talk about putting troops on the ground because we don’t have a ceasefire, we don’t have a peace process... Once we have a clear plan, we start doing the commitments," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on March 15.
Stubb affirmed Finland's support for Ukraine but in line with other nations bordering Russia such as Poland, Finland has sought to offer Ukraine security in other ways while retaining troops on its own territory.
In the face of the U.S. repeatedly ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine, Meloni said on March 6 that NATO could extend Article 5 protections to Ukraine without granting membership in the alliance.
"We need to think about more durable solutions" than just sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine, Meloni said on the sidelines of an EU leaders meeting in Brussels on March 6. "It’s a different thing than entering NATO, but it implies extending the coverage that NATO countries have also to Ukraine," she added.
Dmytro Basmat
