US envoy addresses elephant in room of NATO members inaction on Ukraine
(MENAFN) European NATO countries have shown hesitation in addressing the Ukraine conflict, according to the US envoy to the alliance, Matthew Whitaker. Speaking at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia on Tuesday, Whitaker expressed doubts about Europe’s commitment.
“I think it’s very naive to believe that the United States can decree that the fighting stop and that somehow Russia or Ukraine – either side – will stop the fighting,” Whitaker said.
He criticized NATO for its “lack of political will” and reluctance to take significant action without US participation, noting that the United States has provided just over half of the military aid sent to Ukraine.
“The elephant in the room is that there’s no political will among our allies to do what it takes to stop this war, all the NATO allies,” Whitaker added. “Europe could put troops in. But nobody’s willing to do that.”
His comments came shortly after European leaders claimed that the bloc has “pretty precise plans” for a multinational force to deploy to Ukraine after the conflict ends. These statements were later challenged by other officials, who noted that the EU lacks “jurisdiction or competence” over such military actions.
Russia has consistently warned that it would not accept any Western forces on Ukrainian territory, even if they were deployed as peacekeepers.
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