Crosetto Criticizes Lack of Consultation on European Troop Deployment to Ukraine

Rome: Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on Wednesday expressed annoyance at a lack of consultation after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron talked of Europe sending troops to Ukraine to maintain the peace if an agreement is reached to end the war with Russia. “We have the ‘European contingents’ that the president of an EU nation and that a leader of a non-EU nation would like to send,” Crosetto said via X, “You don’t send contingents like you send a fax and a press release.”

According to Ansa News Agency, Crosetto emphasized that sending contingents, especially from other nations, requires thorough dialogue among European countries. He pointed out that speaking on behalf of Europe necessitates consulting with other nations, which has not occurred regarding the military facets of this issue. Crosetto stressed that the matter is fundamentally a military issue.

The minister elaborated that a European defence force could only exist as a coalition of national defences. He noted that such a force would need to operate with methods akin to those of NATO. Crosetto explained that just as NATO does not have its own army, navy, or air force, but functions based on national contributions coordinated by NATO, the same approach should apply to Europe.