“European countries clashed over sending troops to Ukraine”, reads the title of the editorial in today's issue of the “Financial Times”, BNR reported.
A crisis meeting in Paris, designed to reach a consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump's peace talks with Russia, failed to produce a result.
Poland and Spain have expressed their reluctance to send peacekeepers to war-torn Ukraine, hours after Britain offered to send troops to the country.
The meeting on Monday was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and was attended by six EU countries, the UK and officials from NATO, the EU and the UN.
The US's European allies are racing to respond to Trump's shock announcement of talks with Russia, which are due to begin in Saudi Arabia today.
France has proposed discussing a "peacekeeping force" that would be stationed behind, rather than on, a future ceasefire line in Ukraine, according to sources in Paris. But while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “ready and willing to have British troops on the ground if necessary,” other countries were much more reluctant.
“At the moment, no one is considering sending troops to Ukraine,” said Jose Manuel Albarez, Spain’s foreign minister, adding: “Peace is still a long way off, and for one reason only: Vladimir Putin.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw was not ready to send troops to Ukraine but would maintain the humanitarian, logistical and military assistance it has provided to Kiev over the past three years.
The leaders will also discuss options for increasing European defense spending and military capabilities, potentially through joint funding, the Financial Times reported.
European leaders, who gathered in Paris, are supporters of the war, are against US President Donald Trump and "want to prevent a peace agreement on Ukraine", said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, quoted by MTI and BTA.
"In contrast, we support Donald Trump's aspirations", he said in a video posted yesterday on the government's Facebook page. "In contrast, we support the negotiations between the US and Russia. In contrast, we want peace in Ukraine", the minister added.
"In Brussels, they panicked", he said, adding that "enemies of peace" had gathered in Paris because "they want the war to continue".