Not apocalyptic, but 'certainly fearsome': Vatican on Macron's idea to send troops to Ukraine

"It’s a truly frightening scenario because it would bring about the escalation that we have always tried to avoid from the beginning. It's a scenario that I wouldn't call apocalyptic because perhaps that's an exaggerated word at this moment, but certainly it's fearsome," he stated.

When asked about the possible reasons for Macron's proposal, the Vatican secretary of state said it was probably because after two years of war, "no prospect of a solution on the horizon, be it military or negotiated."

"It would be ideal to really find a way to get the two sides to start talking and dialoguing. I believe that if we talk, a solution will be found," Parolin added.

What preceded

On February 26, a working meeting of about 20 European leaders took place in the Elysee Palace in Paris. The participants of the conference discussed ways of confronting Russia and possible ways of helping Ukraine in confronting the aggressor in the context of the aggravation of the situation at the front in recent weeks.

In particular, at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out that NATO would deploy troops to help Ukraine. According to him, the main problem is that there is still no consensus on this issue.

In turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Stéphane Sejourne, explained what sort of operations foreign military forces can carry out in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed sending NATO or EU troops to Ukraine as well, Czechia and Poland are also not considering such a possibility.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also categorical, stating that "there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine."

Read more about the reaction of other leaders and whether the partners are preparing to use their armies in the material by RBC-Ukraine