German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has strongly criticised remarks made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding military security guarantees for Ukraine.

Source: German TV news channel n-tv, as reported by European Pravda

Details: During a visit to an arms factory in Troisdorf, Pistorius said it is fundamentally wrong to discuss issues such as security guarantees before sitting down at the negotiating table.

Quote from Pistorius: "Apart from the fact that the European Union has neither the authority nor the competence to deploy troops – regardless of for whom and for what purpose – I would be cautious about confirming or commenting on such considerations in any way."

Details: Pistorius said there are ongoing considerations, "but I think it would be totally wrong to discuss this publicly at this point".

He is reacting to media reports that von der Leyen has spoken of a "roadmap" for sending a multinational force to Ukraine.

Background:

• Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine’s Western partners have drafted a plan providing for a demilitarised zone, which would likely be patrolled by neutral peacekeeping forces from a third country.
• Meanwhile, Russia has rejected the idea of European troops in Ukraine, or forces from any NATO country, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Putin would agree to such terms in a peace deal.

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