Sweden Not Considering Training Ukrainian Servicemen 'on Ukrainian Soil': Top Diplomat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Sweden is not planning to train Ukrainian servicemen ‘on Ukrainian soil,’ discussions about sending NATO troops to aid Kiev are 'untimely,' Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.
"Regarding the French proposal to train Ukrainian personnel on Ukrainian soil, it’s not on the table for Sweden," the top diplomat told the Euractiv news outlet. He also pointed out that he considered the unfolding debates about the possible deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine "untimely and distracting," TASS reported.
The possible deployment of Western ground troops to Ukraine was discussed at a conference in Paris on February 26, but the meeting participants failed to agree on the issue. French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference following the meeting that there was no consensus at the moment, but "it cannot be ruled out in the future."
The conference was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and the prime ministers of 20 EU countries. The United States was represented by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien, and the United Kingdom by Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
On February 27, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance had no intention of sending troops to Ukraine. The leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and Sweden reiterated this information.
