German and Italian leaders: Europe is far from negotiating the deployment of troops in Ukraine.

On May 18, German Chancellor Merz and Italian Prime Minister Meloni said that Europe is still a long way from deploying troops in Ukraine, because all of Europe's current efforts are focused on ensuring an unconditional ceasefire from Russia. Merz "The next step must be to clarify the format of the peace talks and what security guarantees Ukraine may need one day." These issues are all unforeseeable at the moment, he said. There is no reason to talk about (the army) at the moment, we are far from that. We want to stop the weapons and end the killing...... These are the issues we are now working on and nothing else," he added. Meloni said Italy was open to joining any international organization aimed at ending the war, but he warned of divisions within the West. "Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the unity of the West has been our greatest strength," she said. "At such a delicate time, it is important to set aside any personal differences that could undermine this unity."