Germany, Italy Say Europe’s Leaders ‘Far from’ Talks on Troop Deployment in Ukraine

Reuters

11:28 JST, May 18, 2025

ROME/BERLIN, May 17 (Reuters) – Europe is a long way from talking about deploying troops in Ukraine as all its efforts are currently focused on securing an unconditional ceasefire from Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday.

“The next step must be that the format for peace talks is made clear, as well as which security guarantees could possibly, one day, be necessary for Ukraine,” Merz said, describing these matters as currently unforeseeable.

“There is no reason to talk about (troops) at the moment, we are far from that. We want the weapons to stop, the killing to end … these are the questions we are dedicated to now, and no others,” he added.

The leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland, together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, met on the sidelines of a summit in Albania on Friday to discuss the situation. They also called U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on Saturday he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.