“It is entirely inappropriate to speculate about what will
happen after the war,” Scholz said during a parliamentary hearing in the
Bundestag. He noted Baerbock’s comments were “not entirely accurate,”
suggesting she aimed to give a “diplomatic answer” without committing to a
clear position.
Scholz emphasized that the war in Ukraine must not escalate
into a conflict between Russia and NATO, stating there is “no question of
ground troops” in the current situation. He firmly ruled out any Bundeswehr
mission in Ukraine.
Earlier, Baerbock suggested the possibility of German troops
on Ukrainian territory, indicating that Germany would support any measures
contributing to long-term peace. She mentioned that an international military
presence might supplement security guarantees, including NATO membership.
NATO deployment in Ukraine
Following the Ukraine support conference in Paris, French
President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out future deployment of Western troops
to Ukraine. This sparked widespread NATO rejection, with countries including
Poland, the US, Germany, Czechia, Canada, and the UK publicly opposing the
idea.
Dutch Army Chief Onno Eichelsheim stressed all support
options should be considered but noted Ukraine hadn’t requested troop
deployments.
Meanwhile, France and the UK reportedly discussed deploying
troops to monitor ceasefire agreements as part of future peace negotiations
with Russia.