Meloni: sending troops, as proposed by Britain and France, is an "ineffective option," instead there is a mechanism with Article 5 of NATO
Kyiv • UNN
Meloni stated that sending Italian troops to Ukraine is not being considered. She proposed a mechanism of security guarantees between Ukraine and partner countries.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that sending Italian troops to Ukraine is not being considered, calling the sending of European troops, as proposed by Great Britain and France, an "ineffective option" and proposing a mechanism of security guarantees between Ukraine and partner countries based on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. She said this on Tuesday in an address to the Italian Senate in connection with the upcoming meeting of the European Council, UNN writes.
I will say clearly once again, also in this hall: sending Italian troops to Ukraine is an issue that has never been on the agenda, just as we believe that sending European troops - initially proposed by Great Britain and France - is a very difficult, risky and ineffective option
"Therefore, the proposal I have formulated to our European and Western partners envisages the activation of security guarantees between Ukraine and the states that intend to sign them, based on the mechanism provided for in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, without Kyiv's mandatory accession to the Atlantic Alliance," the Italian Prime Minister noted.
She noted that "given the confusion that has arisen on this issue as well," that "the terms of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty do not provide, as they say, for automatic entry into the war by a member state in the event of aggression." "They provide assistance to the attacked nation with actions that are considered most necessary. The use of force is one option, but it is not the only option. And the mechanism we imagine would obviously not be unilateral, but would allow states intending to subscribe to the guarantees to also count on Ukraine in a defensive key, and today Ukraine has one of the strongest armies on the entire continent," Meloni noted.
"This is a proposal that we consider very serious, and I see that consensus on it is growing. And, from our point of view, it would be clearly less complicated, cheaper and more effective than other proposals currently under consideration. Security guarantees remain the cornerstone of any idea of lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe, and are also the best way to force Russia to play with open cards: if Moscow does not intend to resort to a new invasion in the future, then what is the reason to oppose exclusively defensive security guarantees?" - Meloni emphasized.
Meloni ruled out sending Italian troops to Ukraine15.03.25, 14:40 • 16704 views
At the same time, she noted that "our firm and full condemnation of the brutal aggression against Ukraine, as well as our support for the Ukrainian people, have never been questioned since that terrible night of February 24, 2022, which shocked the world".
Meloni welcomed the "new stage" and indicated that "we support the efforts of US President Donald Trump" for peace. "Italy believes that the ceasefire proposal agreed on March 11 in Jeddah by the United States and Ukraine is the first significant step on the path that should lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with strong, effective and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine itself, for Europe as a whole and for our American allies, who cannot afford to sign an unreliable peace agreement," Meloni noted.
"This is a step forward that needs to be supported jointly, placing responsibility for the choice made now on Russia, from which we expect concrete and rapid steps in the same direction," the Italian Prime Minister indicated.
She indicated that "these are difficult days, in which, I believe, it is more necessary than ever to refrain from chasing comments on every statement of every actor on the ground, and instead work intensively at the diplomatic level, beyond the noise, in search of a complex balance that can primarily guarantee Ukraine a secure future, and us - the peace that citizens want to enjoy again." "But for this, we intend to insist on what is for us not only a pillar of culture and civilization, but also a banal fact of reality: it is unthinkable to build effective and long-term security guarantees by dividing Europe and the United States," Meloni emphasized.
