Ilayda Cakirtekin
18 February 2025•Update: 18 February 2025
ISTANBUL
It is “too early” to discuss sending troops to Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday in an interview with Franceinfo.
“This question will arise when the time comes, once peace has been found to secure it,” he said.
Emphasizing that Europe wants a “lasting peace,” the foreign minister reiterated the need to provide guarantees ensuring that the “aggression” would not reoccur.
He added that it is too early to say what would be the guarantees.
Barrot announced that Europe would be imposing a new set of sanctions next Monday.
“We can only achieve peace through pressure, which is why we will continue to increase the cost of war for Vladimir Putin,” he said, highlighting that Europe had been forcing the Russian president to sit down at the negotiating table since the beginning of the war.
The interview came after an emergency summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
It was convened amid growing concerns over US President Donald Trump’s direct engagement with Russia and his administration’s intention to exclude the EU from Ukraine peace talks.
The meeting brought together leaders from the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy and Denmark, along with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Following the summit, European leaders reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring lasting peace in Ukraine and enhancing defense capabilities.
After the leaders gathered, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou claimed that the meeting to discuss Ukraine and security on the continent did not dispel fears.
“We're in a 1930’s context with icebergs coming towards us, and the Paris meeting at the Elysee didn't manage to keep them away,” he told BFMTV.
The prime minister warned of a possible war that could occur in Europe for the first time since 1945.
"We are witnessing an unthinkable alliance between Putin and Trump which is marginalizing Europe on its own soil," he added.
