26-03-2025
Italy says no plans to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Italy will not send troops to a potential United Nations peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said following a meeting of her right-wing coalition government on Wednesday.
"There are no plans for national participation in any possible military force on the ground," the statement said, underscoring a unified stance within the coalition.
Meloni convened the talks ahead of a summit of Ukraine-supporting nations in Paris on Thursday, where she called for "solid and effective security guarantees" for Kiev, working alongside European partners and the United States.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani later floated the idea of a new NATO mechanism — possibly an "Article 5b" — to safeguard European security and protect Ukraine. NATO's existing Article 5 enshrines the alliance's collective defence principle, treating an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto also attended the meeting chaired by Meloni. Salvini, who has previously taken a more Russia-friendly stance than his coalition partners, offered no public comments.
Meloni, in power for two and a half years, has consistently backed Europe's support for Ukraine, though Rome has sent mixed signals in recent weeks over relations with the United States.
Meanwhile, Tajani rejected recent US criticism of European nations as "freeloaders," insisting Italy was doing its part.
"I won't take that word lying down," he said, noting that Italian naval forces are protecting merchant ships in the Red Sea and have shot down several Houthi drones.
