The German leader was speaking in parliament to address speculation prompted by comments made by Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister.
Speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday, Baerbock said that Germany would support any initiative aimed at establishing a lasting peace in Ukraine, including security guarantees, increased military support and international peacekeeping missions.
But she stressed that “German soldiers could be deployed only under the condition of a real ceasefire.”
Scholz told parliament: “She was asked what could happen in a (future) peace phase, and actually she tried to answer this without saying yes or no. Because it’s quite inappropriate to speculate now about what would happen later in the event of a negotiated cease-fire.”
“We are in agreement with the minister of defense and the foreign minister that we must do everything to ensure that this war does not become a war between Russia and NATO. And that is why sending ground troops is out of the question for me in this war situation,” he added.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte remained lukewarm on the proposal of peacekeepers, saying that at a meeting this week, NATO foreign ministers would focus mostly on speeding military aid to Kyiv rather than delving into a possible peace process.
“Ukraine doesn’t need more ideas on what a peace process could look like,” he told reporters, going on to argue it was important to “make sure Ukraine has what it needs to get to a position of strength when those peace talks start—when the Ukrainian government has decided they’re ready to do so,” Bloomberg said.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told Italian news agency ANSA on Sunday that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine should not be ruled out and that Europe could “play a role,” though the final decision would rest with Kyiv.
Peace talks
An anonymous NATO official has told Radio Free Europe that Britain and France are both considering sending troops to “monitor a ceasefire should Kyiv and Moscow begin peace talks.”
The source said a number of scenarios were being discussed, including sending a task force to the frontline to “enforce an armistice,” U.K. daily The Telegraph reported, adding that the NATO official had said the talks were taking place between national governments rather than within the alliance.
Last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested Ukraine may be prepared to cede some territory to Russia in return for NATO membership. He explained the plan would involve temporarily giving up land with a view to regaining it later by diplomatic means.
Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, echoed Rutte’s sentiments on Monday, saying Ukraine should be put in “the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace.”
