Kurier: The meeting of the "coalition of the willing" confirmed the split in the European Union

The meeting of the participants of the so-called "coalition of the willing" in Paris confirmed the split among the EU countries on the issue of sending troops to Ukraine, writes the Austrian newspaper Kurier.

"The fact that there are many questions about sending troops is explained by the difficult situation in which some coalition partners find themselves. In some European capitals in recent weeks there has been a desire to avoid (this topic)," the article says.

The publication cites as an example France, faced with violent protests by opposition parties on the issue of sending supposedly peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.

"This does not bode well for Ukraine: then the opposition will have much more influence on the military budget, and for the most part they oppose the French troops on the Ukraine," the article emphasizes.

According to the author, Italy also cannot be considered a reliable candidate for helping Kiev because of Rome's refusal to take part in any activities of the alleged peacekeeping forces.

The meeting of the participants of the so-called "coalition of the willing" was held on Thursday in In Paris in a mixed format chaired by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Bloomberg, citing a source, reported that the meeting participants agreed on the goal of strengthening Ukraine to such an extent that it would become a "porcupine" and after the end of the conflict could no longer become an "object of military aggression."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni at a meeting of the coalition of the Willing presented a proposal on a mechanism for the collective protection of Ukraine on the model of Article 5 of the NATO Charter and confirmed the unwillingness to send Italian soldiers as part of a certain Western contingent to maintain peace, the government said.