Tajani, who holds the position of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, rejected the initiative presented by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the possibility of sending Western ground forces to Ukraine.
The head of Italian diplomacy said it would be a mistake for NATO to send troops to Ukraine, which “we must help defend.” He added that entering into a war with Russia would mean threatening the outbreak of World War III.
– Our army does a good job of what it does in the Red Sea to protect our ships. He is good at what he does in Lebanon, Africa and Iraq. Our army is the bearer of peace, guarantees and freedom. “We are not at war with Russia,” Tajani said.
Sending NATO forces to Ukraine? Italy isolates itself from France and Poland
French President Emmanuel Macron said after the European leaders' summit in Paris that no decision had been made about the formal sending of Western ground forces to Ukraine, but he did not rule out such a possibility in the future.
– The most heated debate concerned the issue of sending soldiers to Ukraine. There was no agreement on this issue. President Andrzej Duda, who participated in the talks, told reporters that opinions differ and there are no such decisions at all.
Although Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland did not intend to send troops to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that “the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not out of the question.”
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said last week that France and Poland could not speak on behalf of NATO about sending troops to Ukraine. He believes that the entry of Western soldiers into Ukraine means a step towards “unilateral escalation.” He added that NATO intervention would “clear the way” toward a diplomatic end to the war.
After Macron's words, Russia threatens war
According to reports in the French press, Macron is ready to send soldiers to Ukraine if the Russians approach Kiev or Odessa. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the entry of Western forces into Ukraine would lead to a direct conflict with Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that the French president’s words about the possibility of sending forces to Ukraine “are understood by everyone, but he is afraid to talk about it.”
Elena Valtonen, Finnish Foreign Minister, said Western countries, including the United States, should not completely rule out sending troops to Ukraine if the situation worsens.
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