Italy hopes Macron's peacekeeping plan for Ukraine won't be needed – MFA
Photo: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Getty Images)
The Italian government hopes the war in Ukraine will end within a year. Therefore, the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine may not be necessary, according to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
He reacted to the statement of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who called Macron's idea of a possible deployment of European troops in Ukraine madness. Tayani emphasized that Macron has his own position, which does not coincide with the Italian one, but this is not a reason for such statements.
“I would never allow myself to define with these tones those who have a different position from mine,” Tajani emphasized, stressing his respect for the French leader.
He notes that Italy hopes the war will end within a year, as does Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The country supports a just peace that will take into account the interests of Ukraine but does not consider sending its military.
“ Our military will not go to the front in Ukraine, neither with a NATO mission nor with a European one,” Tajani said.
But a different thing is a UN peacekeeping mission that "could act as an interposition force once peace has been achieved,” the Italian diplomat explained.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
French President Emanuel Macron opposed the “too fragile” truce in Ukraine. He emphasized that the way to peace cannot go through the recall of support for Ukraine.
The media reported that Europe was developing a plan to send soldiers to Ukraine. According to recent reports, European countries are ready to send up to 30,000 troops for such a mission.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that her country would not send peacekeepers to Ukraine. After all, this is a very difficult thing to implement and may not be effective.
