EU leaders disagree on sending troops to Ukraine, but will increase defense spending – media
European countries were at odds over sending troops to Ukraine at an emergency meeting of EU and NATO leaders in Paris on Monday, which aimed to reach a consensus on how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's peace talks with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
The leaders of Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain expressed reluctance to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, hours after Britain said it was ready to provide troops.
France proposed a "deterrent force" that would be deployed behind, rather than on, a future ceasefire line in Ukraine, officials briefed on the meeting said. In comments after the summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the discussion of troop deployment highly inappropriate because the war was still ongoing.
The discussion is absolutely premature and now is not the best time for it, said Scholz, who has been cautious about sending troops to Ukraine ahead of national elections. He said he was a little irritated by the debate, calling it an incomprehensible debate at the wrong time and on the wrong topic.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told fellow leaders she was hesitant about sending European troops to Ukraine, calling it the most difficult and least effective of the options, according to people briefed on her remarks.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was willing to consider sending British troops into Ukraine, along with others, if a lasting peace deal is reached. But he added: there must be support from the United States. A security guarantee from the United States is the only effective way to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again, he said.
Starmer confirmed he would meet Trump in Washington next week and hold further talks with European leaders on his return.
Macron said he would continue consultations with European partners in the coming days on both aid to Ukraine and the development of his own armed forces.
"We want a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine," he added. "We will work with all Europeans, Americans and Ukrainians. That is the key to success."
In addition to the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland also called for the US to remain involved in Ukraine's security after the meeting.
One British official dismissed the reluctance of some European countries to offer troops to help maintain the ceasefire in Ukraine, saying: We don't need everyone to say yes, we just need enough.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was open to discussing many different things, such as deploying troops.
"But I would also like to stress that there are many, many things that need to be clarified before we get to that situation, because we are talking about the security of our own men and women," she added.
Spain has expressed skepticism about sending troops to Ukraine before the Paris summit.
Nobody is considering sending troops to Ukraine right now, said Jose Manuel Albarez, Spain's foreign minister.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw was not ready to send troops, playing down the divisions on display at the Paris summit.
At the same time, he played down the divisions on display at the meeting, saying all European countries had realized they must strengthen their armed forces.
There was agreement and unanimity that a significant increase in defense spending is absolutely necessary, Tusk said.
Leaders at the Paris meeting discussed how to finance the boost to European defense capabilities, possibly through joint borrowing or other methods that France called innovative financing.
Macron has called for the EU to take part in joint borrowing to reduce its reliance on U.S. troops and weapons, though Germany and the Netherlands have opposed it.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday she would propose that EU capitals temporarily relax the bloc's deficit rules to boost defense spending.