BERLIN – German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has sharply dismissed suggestions from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that there are “pretty precise plans” for European forces to enforce an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen told the Financial Times over the weekend that a multinational force, supported by the United States, could deploy tens of thousands of soldiers as part of possible post-war guarantees to protect Ukraine against another Russian invasion.
But on Monday, her comments drew a frosty response from Germany, the European Union’s third-largest armed forces by troop size.
The EU had “no competence whatsoever” to station troops, Pistorius said during a visit to a defence manufacturer near Cologne, according to German media reports.
“These are things that are not to be discussed before sitting down at the negotiating table with many parties who have something to say,” the Social Democrat added. “I think it is totally wrong to discuss this publicly at this stage.”
Pistorius’ response echoed comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who insisted on Sunday that “nobody is talking about ground troops in Ukraine at this point”.
Merz stressed that any public discussion on ground troops and concrete security guarantees would have to be preceded by a Russian commitment to a ceasefire, which remains elusive.
Talks on security guarantees are primarily taking place between heads of government within the so-called Coalition of the Willing, an alliance of Ukraine’s supporters led by France and Britain.
US President Donald Trump suggested last month that America could contribute to a “very good security guarantee” in Ukraine.
However, Trump later ruled out deploying American boots on the ground, raising the prospect that European countries may need to shoulder most of the burden for any potential peacekeeping force.
Aurélie Pugnet contributed to this report.
(vc)
