PARIS, February 17. /TASS/. Talks between the leaders of eight European countries in Paris, involving also EU and NATO officials, have ended without any joint statements. The participants are leaving the Elysee Palace, the BFMT television channel reported.
According to the TV channel, the nearly three-hour meeting yielded no joint communique because of differences among the participants concerning the issue of the potential deployment of military contingents to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was the first to leave after the meeting, told journalists that further financial assistance to Ukraine bumps up against the problem of budgetary deficits in European countries. He said that further support for Kiev that would not tell adversely on EU countries’ own industry and social sphere is possible only if a separate financing channel is organized. He did not conceal his irritation concerning discussions about the potential deployment of a European peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, slamming such debates as absolutely premature.
French President Emmanuel Macron invited the leaders of Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, which is not a member of the European Union, for an informal meeting in Paris. Presidents of the European Commission and European Council, as well as the NATO secretary general were also invited. Before the meeting, the French president’s administration said that its agenda would include security guarantees that could be given to Ukraine. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier that Western European countries were looking at deploying French, British, and Polish contingents to guarantee the future ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine.