Spain refrains from taking a position in favor but does not exclude involvement.
Support for sending a European intervention force to Ukraine has not gained traction in the European Union, which has only agreed not to ease sanctions against Russia. Without the United States, enthusiasm wanes, as Italy announces that it will not send troops, Spain refrains from taking a position in favor, and Germany is reluctant.
The High-Level Meeting in Paris on March 27, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, aimed to plan the deployment of a so-called peacekeeping force to Ukraine through a “Coalition of the Willing” but ended with vague rhetoric and no concrete agreements.
Up to thirty countries participated in the meeting, including most EU leaders, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and representatives from Canada, Turkey, and Australia. The Franco-British proposal to deploy a contingent in Ukraine once a ceasefire and peace agreement are reached did not receive the necessary support.
Macron acknowledged the difficulties in promoting the initiative, a result of the insufficient capacity of some countries and the lack of internal political consensus in others, as he admitted. Aware of the resulting lack of unanimity, the French president lowered expectations of a hypothetical deployment and spoke of “reassurance forces,” whose soldiers, numbering approximately 30,000, would not be deployed along the front line but in “certain strategic locations.”
To this end, Macron assured, a Franco-British mission will soon assess the prospects for such a deployment on the ground and, together with its Ukrainian counterparts, will discuss the future reconstruction of the Ukrainian military.
In addition to the reluctance expressed by Germany and Poland, countries such as Croatia and Italy have declared their opposition to the proposal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the most vocal, stating that her country’s participation in a possible peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory is “not planned.”
It is increasingly clear that there is a quiet but tenacious resistance from most European countries to continue the war, especially now that the current US stance in favor of ending the conflict in Ukraine dampens the spirits of many Europeans. As a result, the “Coalition of the Willing” (a term borrowed from the US-led countries that invaded Iraq in 2003) appears to be diminishing with each meeting in Brussels, London, or Paris, as does the scope of its objectives. Excluded from the negotiations, the EU and the UK failed to form a bloc with any influence, even less so when the initiatives point to an escalation of the arms race.
During the meeting, Macron alluded to the fact that the lack of political consensus prevents some countries from joining the “Coalition of the Willing.” In Spain’s case, dissent is occurring within the coalition government, where the partners of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Sumar party, oppose increased military spending and the country’s participation in NATO, a stance that advocates for its dissolution.
The silence of Sánchez, who made no statement at the end of the meeting, was notable. It is known that his government does not wish to discuss the deployment of peacekeeping forces while military action is still ongoing. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles admitted that it is “very premature” to plan this idea, given that the terms of a potential peace agreement are unknown, which has many nuances and variables.
The unpopularity of the proposed military spending could skyrocket as soon as it translates into cuts to the welfare state. Given that the abandonment of cheap energy sources has undermined EU growth. Rearmament is a desperate attempt to reindustrialize Europe. Hence, the campaign of war terror among the population. In this way, the Franco-British initiatives are merely gestures of impotence, the result of an understanding of their weakness without Washington’s support.
Brussels’ advice on preparing for extreme crisis situations seeks to raise public awareness. However, society is also discussing the climate of alarm that has been generated. In Spain, even the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, qualified some of these messages.
“We mustn’t unnecessarily worry our citizens. At this time, there is no threat to either Spain’s territorial integrity or sovereignty,” he stated during an interview on public television.
The Sánchez government also disliked the mention of Spain made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a conference in Warsaw on March 27, when he praised Poland’s high military spending (4.7% of GDP) in contrast to that of the Iberian country. Spain is now stating that it aims to reach 2% this summer, but has not set a deadline for fulfilling this commitment.
To justify the push to increase military spending, Rutte equated the risk to southern European countries with those on NATO’s eastern flank in the event of a hypothetical Russian attack.
“With the latest missile technology coming out of Russia, the difference between an attack on Warsaw and an attack on Madrid is ten minutes,” he said.
Both Rutte’s comments and the European rearmament plan, along with the French- and British-led project to deploy troops in Ukraine, together convey a tension that runs counter to the US-promoted efforts to negotiate a peace. With NATO’s linchpin Washington following a different path than London and Brussels, the Franco-British intentions are doomed to fail without US support.
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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
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