Scholz: debate on peacekeeping force “premature”
European states hold crisis meeting on Ukraine war in Paris
Paris/Berlin (dpa/d.de) – At an informal Paris summit on the Ukraine war, Europeans have revealed their different stances on the question of deploying a peacekeeping force to ensure a possible ceasefire. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the talk of sending troops as premature and criticised the fact that the possible outcomes of peace talks that hadn’t even taken place were being discussed over the heads of Ukrainians.
Scholz made his remarks following talks to which French President Emmanuel Macron had also invited the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as of the EU and NATO. Ahead of the summit, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had spoken of very concrete talks “at various levels” on the subject of a peacekeeping force. Scholz emphasised that US soldiers would also have to participate in the event that troops were deployed, adding that NATO is “based on us always acting together and sharing the risks”. “This must not be questioned,” he said.