Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to see a “strong and sovereign Europe” ahead of emergency talks in Paris.
But asked if his country could send troops to Ukraine for a possible peacekeeping mission, he stressed the importance of a strong Ukrainian army.
“This will be a great task for Europe, for the US and international alliance partners,” he said.
“If the framework is given, Germany will not shy away,” a defence ministry spokesperson said on the issue of ground troops.
“I will not speculate about possible contributions of forces, because these will of course also be coordinated within the alliance or within the partner framework and will be part of the entire negotiation structure.”
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said earlier that he was prepared to put “our own troops on the ground if necessary” in Ukraine if a peace deal with Russia was agreed.
In contrast, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this morning his country had “no plans” to contribute soldiers to such a force.
The comments came ahead of a summit of European leaders in Paris today.
A German government spokesman said they did not expect any concrete results from the talks.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters: “We have to make sure that Europe overcomes the challenges of the future in a strong and sovereign manner and with its back straight.
“I am certain that we will be able to develop a clear position.”
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