“N“We do not agree” with the idea of “sending European troops to Ukraine”, he declared at the end of the Spanish Council of Ministers, insisting, however, on the urgency of accelerating the sending of military equipment to Kyiv.
“We must focus on what is urgent, namely accelerating the delivery of military equipment” to Kyiv, he added, highlighting the need for European unity, which is “the most effective weapon Europe has” against Russia.
Madrid’s statement follows that made today by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who guaranteed that “no soldiers” will be sent to Ukraine by European countries or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), rejecting the possibility raised the day before by Macron.
At a press conference, Scholz stated that what was decided among Europeans from the beginning “remains valid for the future”, namely that “there will be no troops on the ground, nor soldiers sent by European states or NATO to Ukrainian soil” .
“It is important to always ensure this,” Scholz added in the university town of Freiburg in Breisgau, in the southwestern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, asserting that there is “great unanimity on this issue” among Ukraine’s allies.
Scholz was reacting to statements made on Monday by Macron, in which the French President stated that the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine should not “be excluded” in the future, despite considering that “there is no consensus” on the matter in this phase.
“We will do everything necessary so that Russia cannot win this war,” said Macron, at the end of an international conference in support of Ukraine, which was also attended by Scholz.
The conference, organized urgently by the French President with the presence of 27 other countries, comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which finds itself on the defensive against the Russian army, after the failure of its counteroffensive last year, and waiting for weapons additional westerners.
Also today, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said the United Kingdom has no plans to send more troops to Ukraine, beyond a small number deployed to support Kyiv.
Through a spokesperson, the office indicated that “a small number” of British military personnel are on the ground “to support the Ukrainian armed forces, particularly in terms of medical training.”
“We are not planning a large-scale deployment,” he said.
In addition to Spain and Germany, NATO and other European Union (EU) countries have now publicly rejected the idea.
The European Commission has stressed that it is the responsibility of each EU country to decide to send military personnel to Ukraine to help repel the Russian invasion.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the most recent UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by most of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Kyiv and imposing Moscow from political and economic sanctions.
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2510199/espanha-discorda-da-ideia-de-enviar-tropas-para-territorio-ucraniano
