NATO’s Top General: It’s Premature to Discuss Deployment of Foreign Troops in Ukraine
The highest-ranking NATO military official, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, expressed the view that it is currently too early to engage in discussions about specific plans and conditions for deploying foreign military contingents in Ukraine.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he emphasized that the issue of foreign troop presence remains in the realm of international negotiations and is part of broader diplomatic efforts concerning relations with Moscow.
At this stage, NATO has not initiated detailed talks on this matter, and it is considered premature to do so.According to Dragone, some member countries may have already raised this topic bilaterally, but no comprehensive or joint agreements have been reached.
He highlighted that any decision to deploy foreign troops must be based on political security guarantees, agreed upon at the diplomatic level.
Clarifying the rules of engagement, such as who makes decisions in case of violations and whether soldiers are tasked only with monitoring or also defending, is crucial.
Currently, these issues are still under discussion and require further negotiations.In the context of ongoing diplomatic negotiations, discussions are underway about the potential deployment of British and French forces to Ukraine as part of efforts to achieve peace.
Sources indicate that around ten countries are ready to contribute military personnel for peacekeeping missions.
German military union representatives stress that for an effective peacekeeping operation, the deployment of tens of thousands of troops over a long period would be necessary to ensure security and support Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery.