On September 1, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen for her recent comments on the possibility of deploying EU troops to Ukraine.
Speaking during a visit to an arms manufacturer near Cologne (Germany), Mr. Pistorius affirmed that the EU leadership does not have the authority or capacity to discuss military issues, and noted that this should be kept secret.
Minister Pistorius said that public discussion about the possibility of deploying troops or any other military security measures for Ukraine at this time is "completely wrong".
"In addition to the fact that the EU does not have any authority or capacity to deploy troops, regardless of who it is or for what purpose, I will be very cautious about confirming or commenting on such considerations in any form," Pistorius told reporters.
The German military leader added that the parties involved are still discussing "What is possible, what is impossible, and under which conditions something can even be considered."
The German Defense Minister's reprimand came after von der Leyen said on August 31 that EU leaders were working on "pretty accurate plans" for deploying a multinational force in Ukraine after the conflict was resolved.
von der Leyen even affirmed that this plan was also strongly supported by President Donald Trump - who has repeatedly denied sending US soldiers to Ukraine - but did not provide any concrete evidence.
Notably, on the same day, August 31, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that No one is talking about sending infantry to Ukraine at the present time despite not long before he had shown an openness to the possibility of the Berlin army participating in this mission.
Earlier, on August 20, the head of the Finnish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Johannes Koskinen, affirmed that Finland would not send troops to Ukraine but would limit to providing experts and technical staff.
Another EU member, Italy, has also expressed hesitation at the initiative, which was initiated by the UK and France in March.
When asked to comment on French President Emmanuel Macron's call for allies to deploy troops to Ukraine, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Salvini said: "You go if you want to. Put on helmets, wear jackets, hold guns and go to Ukraine.
In response to a series of statements from EU leaders in recent times, observers said that the plan to send troops to Ukraine is increasingly causing division, deep conflict and diplomatic conflicts within the bloc.
