U.S. troops will not be part of possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine - Hegseth
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that US troops would not participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
He said this at the beginning of the meeting in the Ramstein format, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"Any security guarantee must be backed by combat-ready European and non-European troops. If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine at some point, they should be deployed as part of a mission that will not be a NATO mission, and it should not be subject to Article 5 on the contact line," he explained.
According to Hegseth, "the United States will not deploy troops to Ukraine."
Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine
Earlier, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron would discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine if an agreement is reached to end the current phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk denied that Polish troops would be sent to Ukraine after the ceasefire.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas assessed the possibility of sending a European peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crozetto expressed his readiness to support a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine if peace is achieved.
In turn, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called these discussions "premature."
Germany, together with its partners, will consider the possible deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of "security guarantees" only after the conditions are created, namely a ceasefire with Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has stated that several countries are currently considering participation in a potential contingent of Western allies in Ukraine. However, specific plans for the deployment of foreign troops are still under discussion.
