Germany rules out deploying troops to Ukraine, says Boris Pistorius
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius ruled out sending German troops to Ukraine during government hearings in the Bundestag, Deutsche Welle reported on June 5.
Rüdiger Lucassen, an MP from the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), asked Defense Minister Boris Pistorius whether the government was informed about the debates in the EU and France on the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine and whether the country's officials are considering such a scenario.
"The answers to your questions: no, and no," Pistorius said.
Read also: France to announce military training mission in Ukraine next week
Possible deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine
After a conference on supporting Ukraine held in Paris on Feb. 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine's Western allies would create a coalition to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range weapons and that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future should not be ruled out.
In response to Macron's statements, Poland, the United States, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and the United Kingdom rejected the idea.
Read also: Polish troops to Ukraine possible – Polish FM
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas kept open the possibility of sending troops but clarified that they would only be for training missions.
Dutch Army General Staff Chief, General Onno Eichelsheim, said “all options should remain open.”
European NATO states have been studying the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine for weeks, AFP reported.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal explained on Feb. 29 that French troops could participate in the war on the side of Ukraine to protect certain borders, take part in exercises, or support ground air defense. He dismissed the possibility of French soldiers participating “directly on the frontline.”
France is prepared to send instructors to train Ukrainian military personnel, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 27, after a conversation with French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Discussions about French instructors are ongoing, and Ukraine is currently preparing documents to expedite the process once a decision is made, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry later clarified.
Read also: NATO training personnel in Ukraine will not be escalatory, says Estonian PM
Le Monde reported on May 30 that Macron wants to create a European coalition of military instructors to train Ukrainian troops.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on May 30 that Germany will not be joining France in sending military instructors to Ukraine to train soldiers.
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