Germany will not send peacekeepers to Ukraine without ‘US involvement’: AFP

The reported remarks come after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ruled out deploying American troops as part of potential security guarantees to Kiev.

“We will not participate in scenarios in which European and American security diverges, for example if European soldiers are deployed without full US involvement,” a German official told AFP.

Poland has also dismissed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.

“Poland will support Ukraine as it has done so far: organizationally, in accordance with our financial capabilities, in terms of humanitarian and military aid,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on Monday.

“We do not plan to send Polish soldiers to the territory of Ukraine.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described the Ukraine conflict as “existential,” announced on Sunday that he is ready to contribute troops as part of post-ceasefire “security guarantees” to Kiev.

Moscow has stressed that a peace settlement is possible only if the West addresses the “root causes” of the conflict, such as Ukraine’s plans to join NATO and the bloc’s continuing expansion eastward. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s envoy to the UN, said earlier this month that only the UN Security Council can authorize the deployment of peacekeepers, and warned that Russia would treat “any foreign military units” that do not have UN backing as “legitimate targets.”

US President Donald Trump has promised to quickly end the conflict and has taken steps to restore diplomatic contact with Moscow, which was de facto frozen in 2022. US and Russian officials will discuss Ukraine in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev will not take part in the Riyadh talks and will “not recognize” any negotiations held without its consent. EU officials have expressed frustration with Trump, after he had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12 without their approval.