BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday it was too early and "inappropriate" to discuss whether Berlin would in future send troops to a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine. He also stressed that, as Ukraine's war with Russia rages on, it was "out of the question that we would send troops or German soldiers to Ukraine in the current situation".
Scholz was addressing speculation which had followed comments by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at a meeting with her Nato counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday. Asked about a possible future multinational peacekeeping force in Ukraine, Baerbock said: "We will of course also support everything that serves peace in the future with all our strength from the German side." This was interpreted by some as leaving the door open to German participation in such a hypothetical force.
But Scholz emphasised that Baerbock was speaking about "what might happen in a future post-war period and was trying to avoid saying yes or no". Speaking in parliament, he added that "it was totally inappropriate for us to speculate on what might happen after a negotiated ceasefire". Foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press conference that Baerbock's comments had been "exaggerated" in some media reports. There was "currently no indication" that Russia was willing to enter into talks, Fischer said, meaning that discussions over what a peace deal could look like were premature.
Germany has been Kyiv's second biggest supplier of military aid since Russia launched its full-scale attack of the country in February 2022. However, Scholz has refused to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, saying that this could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and Nato. Ahead of an early parliamentary election expected at the end of February, Scholz has emphasised his cautious stance on Ukraine, in contrast to the leader of the main opposition CDU/CSU Friedrich Merz, who has advocated sending Ukraine the Taurus missiles.
Meanwhile, Nato chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that Russia was giving support to North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes in exchange for Pyongyang sending troops to fight in the war with Ukraine. He urged NATO members to send enough arms to Ukraine to change the course of the conflict as Russian forces make gains along the frontline.
"In return for troops and weapons, Russia is providing North Korea with support for its missile and nuclear programmes," Rutte told journalists after a meeting of Nato foreign ministers. "These developments could destabilise the Korean Peninsula and even threaten the United States."
Ukraine and its allies say North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia to fight alongside Moscow's forces in the Kursk region. Rutte has stressed the risk the alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang poses to the United States ahead of Donald Trump's return to office.
Washington's allies are trying to find ways to convince Trump that it is in his interest to keep up US support for Ukraine. The volatile Republican has cast doubt on continuing vast US military aid to Kyiv and promised to cut a quick deal to end the war. "The increasing alignment of Russia and its allies highlights the global nature of the threats we face, including the escalating dangers of the ongoing war in Ukraine," Rutte said. The situation on the battlefield is looking increasingly grim for Ukraine as Trump's inauguration comes near. — AFP
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