Italy criticizes France and Poland for their statements about sending troops to Ukraine

Italy’s Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, criticized France and Poland for their remarks regarding the possibility of NATO countries sending troops to Ukraine. This was reported by the Italian newspaper la Stampa.

“France and Poland cannot speak on behalf of NATO, which from the very beginning has formally and voluntarily refrained from intervening in the conflict,” stated the Minister of Defense. Crosetto believes that this would be a step towards unilateral escalation, depriving the conflict of the opportunity for a diplomatic solution.

According to the minister, Italy will continue to support Ukraine, but there is a need to “more actively engage diplomatic channels.” Earlier, Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, stated that “some NATO countries” have already sent their troops to Ukraine but did not name them. Meanwhile, French President Macron proposed sending troops to assist Ukraine, but later claimed that he had been misunderstood. Chancellor of Germany Scholz stated that British and French troops are already in Ukraine and assisting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, although they are doing so discreetly.