Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs talks about sending troops to Ukraine
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (photo: Getty Images)
Countries in the West, including the US, should not prevent the sending of troops to Ukraine in the long term, states Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
“It’s important that we not rule everything out for the long term, because we never know how serious the situation becomes. But the Finnish position is clear: We are not right now sending any troops and not willing to discuss that," Valtonen said.
According to Politico, Valtonen's remarks mainly relate to the long-term hypothetical choice of NATO member countries. However, it is not excluded that European countries facing a direct threat from Russia may want to consider this option more seriously.
The Finnish Foreign Minister also noted that the most important thing now is that supporters of Ukraine continue to assist the warring country.
"Many European countries could do so much more," Valtonen emphasized.
Discussions on the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine
At the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility that NATO could deploy troops to assist Ukraine. However, there was no consensus at that time. He later clarified that French troops could be sent to Ukraine in the event of a renewed Russian advance towards Kyiv or Odesa.
Several NATO countries opposed this idea, including Germany, Czechia, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, and Italy. However, countries are willing to consider this possibility, including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas supported Macron's idea, stating that the readiness to send troops to Ukraine is a signal to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
