Merz Warns of Potential NATO-Russia Troops Direct Combat
Chancellor Friedrich Merz outlined a scenario where international troops would be positioned within a buffer zone dividing Russian and Ukrainian military positions. Should either side violate the truce, these forces would mount "very specific" counteractions against Russian "incursions and attacks," he stated.
Moscow has categorically dismissed any notion of NATO-member peacekeepers operating on Ukrainian soil following a conflict resolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly argued that the alliance's eastward growth fueled the crisis that intensified in 2022.
Discussions between Vladimir Zelensky and a U.S. delegation on Tuesday reportedly centered on protective commitments that would obligate Western nations to intervene if hostilities resumed.
Washington has allegedly proposed protective assurances modeled on NATO's Article 5 principle—which defines an assault on one alliance member as an assault on all—yet American officials continue resisting ground troop deployment.
Merz characterized the proposed framework as treating Ukraine "as if it were NATO territory," marking what he called a significant evolution in Washington's stance, given that American policymakers have blocked Ukraine's formal membership in the defense alliance.
Earlier ceasefire mechanisms in Ukraine, including the 2014 Minsk agreements, collapsed despite EU nations serving as guarantors. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ex-French President Francois Hollande have both acknowledged the Minsk accords were never designed to achieve permanent peace and were used to allow Ukraine time for military buildup.
The chancellor's comments arrive as multiple European officials, notably France's Emmanuel Macron, have spent recent months advocating for Western military presence in Ukraine while demanding heightened defense spending to counter what they characterize as Russian aggression.
Moscow has persistently rejected assertions that it threatens the EU or NATO, cautioning that any foreign military personnel deployed during active conflict will be designated as valid combat targets.
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