ROME — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was irritated by French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent suggestion of deploying European troops into Ukraine following a ceasefire.
Macron reportedly floated the idea during a Wednesday video conference among leaders of the European Union following France’s bilateral conversations with the United States. He suggested that EU personnel would help deter Russia from reinvading Ukraine following a hypothetical peace agreement.
Meloni rebuked her French counterpart, accusing him of making decisions for her country without a “mandate,” diplomatic sources told the Telegraph. Macron contested the accusation, assuring the conference that military presence would be up to each nation.
The reported spat is just the latest example of a growing discord on the Old Continent as governments adapt to President Donald Trump’s newfound stance on the Ukraine conflict and Russia.
The president said he would not commit to a comprehensive security deal with Ukraine, putting the burden of defense on European nations who stand to lose more from future Russian expansion.
“I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much,” Trump said Wednesday. “We’re going to have Europe do that. Europe is their next-door neighbor.”
A lack of support from the world superpower puts European countries in a stressful position as countries including Germany, Poland, and Denmark seek to bolster the continent’s defense capabilities after a period of decline in military power.
Despite her alleged argument with Macron, the Italian prime minister is firm in her stance that some form of security guarantee will be necessary to protect Ukraine following the cessation of violence that Trump hopes to negotiate.
Peace “is an objective that can be achieved only if Kyiv is provided with adequate security guarantees — to be sure that what we have seen in these three years does not happen again and to be sure that even the European nations that feel most threatened can instead feel safe,” Meloni said Wednesday following a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, according to translations from Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
TRUMP MAKES ‘DECISIVE BREAK’ FROM PAST US FOREIGN POLICY, PUTTING EUROPE ON ITS TOES
Meloni defended Trump’s volatile positions during a Saturday address at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, calling the president a “hero” who will not abandon Europe.
“Our adversaries hope Trump will move away, but that won’t happen,” she told the American audience. “I know him — he is strong and effective. I bet we will prove them wrong. Some may see Europe as distant or lost, but I tell you, that is not the case. With Trump’s victory, the Left’s irritation has turned into hysteria.”
