German Foreign Minister says they will not send soldiers to Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock echoed Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, calling the current debate about possible European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine premature.

"No soldiers will be sent into this hot war," Baerbock told public broadcaster ZDF, the Telegraph reports.

The debate in European capitals was sparked by US President Donald Trump's unilateral announcement of peace talks on Ukraine with Russia, and remarks by Trump and other senior US officials that US troops would not be involved in securing any peace agreement in Ukraine.

Baerbock acknowledged on Tuesday that "preserving peace is a European task," and said that any agreement on Ukraine cannot be negotiated without Ukrainian and European involvement.

But Baerbock called it too premature to debate the willingness to deploy troops to Ukraine before talks begin.

Read too US and Russia end first talks without Ukraine, Moscow with new demands

Scholz made similar comments after a meeting of European leaders to discuss possible contributions to a peace deal in Ukraine on Monday in Paris, called by French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Tuesday, senior US and Russian representatives met for talks in Saudi Arabia, without any participation from Ukrainian or European representatives.

The talks in Riyadh were first and foremost an opportunity for the US and Russia to establish contacts, Baerbock said.

"Now we must not make the big mistake of also doing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin a favor by making these talks bigger than they really are," she added.

When asked whether Germany could accept negotiations taking place without Ukraine and the Europeans, Baerbock replied emphatically: "No."

But Baerbock added that Europe must be self-confident, clear and protect its interests.

"Even if everyone's hearts are burning here, we have to keep a very cool head," she said. /Telegraph/