Italy’s Meloni opposes Western troop deployment to Ukraine

In contrast to recent policy statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated her opposition to deploying Western troops to Ukraine, Italian news agency ANSA reported on March 19.

Meloni suggested Italy remains unconvinced that Ukraine’s Western allies might eventually have to participate in the war directly.

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“Regarding the proposal made by France on the possible direct military intervention, our position is not in favor of this hypothesis, which could lead to a dangerous escalation that must be avoided at all costs,” said Meloni.

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The PM criticized Macron for pressuring German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to take a more assertive stance, warning of the "existential" threat Russia poses to the EU.

At the same time, she added that negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin are pointless.

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“How can we sit at the negotiating table with someone who has never respected any agreements?” Meloni said.

On Feb. 26, Macron said that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future should not be ruled out. Several NATO countries publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine in response to Macron's statements, including Poland, the United States, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and the UK.

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