Mertz: Europe is currently far from considering the deployment of troops in Ukraine
Following the conclusion of the European Union summit held in Albania, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clearly outlined Europe's position regarding the possibility of involving armed forces in the Ukrainian crisis. According to him, the current moment is not favorable for considering the idea of military intervention on Ukrainian territory, as the priority remains efforts to stabilize the situation and to end hostilities from the Russian Federation. In a comment for Reuters, Merz emphasized that the main point in this complex situation is to stop the war and pursue a diplomatic path to peace. He stated that any future peaceful solution should be based on a clear negotiation framework, as well as on security guarantees that Ukraine may need in the future. "The next step should not just be an discussion, but the determination of a specific format for future negotiations, as well as the identification of security guarantees that Ukraine might eventually receive. These are our main goals now," Merz noted. The Chancellor stressed that the question of deploying European military forces into the conflict is premature at this stage, and it is too early to speak about military intervention. "There are currently no grounds to talk about deploying troops — we are still very far from that. The main task is to stop the shooting, killings, and destruction. These are the issues we are primarily focused on and will continue to focus on until the situation stabilizes," he emphasized. This position of Merz fully aligns with that of his predecessor in the office, Olaf Scholz, who also underscored the importance of diplomatic efforts and negotiations towards a peaceful resolution, postponing the possibility of military intervention or deployment of peacekeeping forces on Ukrainian territory. In contrast, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously confirmed his readiness to send peacekeeping missions to the region, provided there were solid security guarantees that could be obtained by the United States. At the same time, Russia immediately expressed strong objections to any ideas of deploying NATO or other foreign forces on Ukrainian soil, emphasizing that such actions would violate international law and contribute to escalation of the conflict. Thus, currently in Europe, the dominant desire is for diplomatic resolution and the avoidance of escalation, which, according to many analysts, is the only acceptable path to restoring peace and stability in the region.