Cardinal Parolin reacts to prospect of Western troops in Ukraine

Sending Western troops to Ukraine would “bring about the escalation we have always sought to avoid,” warned Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on February 27, 2024, regarding a possibility raised by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Rome, the Holy See’s “number 2” said that this would be a “terrifying” scenario.

“It’s frightening,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told the press as he took part in a prize-giving ceremony organized by the Pontifical Centesimus Annus Foundation, not far from St. Peter’s Square. The head of Vatican diplomacy was asked about the proposal made by Emmanuel Macron the previous day in Paris at a conference in support of Ukraine. “Nothing must be excluded,” said the French President on the subject of sending Western troops to Ukraine.

Macron’s statement caused perplexity in many Western countries. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asserted that no European or NATO soldiers would be sent to Ukraine. A NATO official interviewed by AFP explained that there were no plans to do so. Spain, Italy, and the UK made similar statements, as did the United States.

“I’m not saying it would be an apocalyptic scenario, because that would be too strong a word at the moment, but terrifying, terrifying,” commented the Italian prelate.

For him, the fact that the war is dragging on cannot justify a military escalation. “The ideal thing would be to find a way for both sides to start talking and dialogue,” he added. “I believe that if we talk, we can then find a solution […]. The important thing is that there is the will to do it.”

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