Italy is willing to participate in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on Dec. 12, according to the Ansa news agency.
The comments come amid growing expectations of possible ceasefire talks in Ukraine as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he aims to push Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table.
"I hope to talk about peace, about peacekeeping, as soon as possible in Ukraine, but also in Gaza and Lebanon," Crosetto told journalists in Madrid when asked about the possibility of Rome deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron has floated the idea of sending an international contingent to Ukraine to monitor a future truce. Though the French president has reportedly discussed the idea with the U.K. and Poland, Italy is the first country to signal openness to the proposal publicly.
"We are willing to play this role, a role in which we have always distinguished ourselves as a nation," Crosetto said.
The position within Italy does not appear to be uniform. Italy's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani called such discussions premature, as Russia's war is ongoing.
The U.K. and Poland have publicly said they are not currently considering deploying their soldiers in Ukraine. Only German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said such a possibility should not be ruled out, though Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not echo this position.
European nations are nevertheless expected to take up a greater role in helping Ukraine defend itself and deter any future Russian aggression, as Trump is likely to decrease Washington's involvement.
Talking to Macron and President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Dec. 7, Trump reportedly told the two leaders he wants European peacekeepers monitoring a ceasefire deal on the ground in Ukraine.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine "may consider" such a step, but only after receiving a clear timeline for NATO membership, which Trump and several member states oppose.
Russia's position remains the main obstacle, as Moscow has shown no willingness to open peace talks that would not entail Ukraine's effective surrender and vocally opposed the presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory.
Martin Fornusek
