Italy Rules Out Soldiers for Ukraine

Deployment Red Line Reaffirmed

Italy’s position is defined by a clear constraint: continued support for Ukraine without committing Italian troops on Ukrainian soil.

Addressing the Chamber of Deputies on December 17, 2025, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated, “I reiterate: Italy will not send troops to Ukraine.” The timing, one day before the December 18–19 European Council meeting, underscored Rome’s intent to remove ambiguity as allies weigh post-ceasefire security options.

Meloni paired that refusal with reassurance on policy continuity, saying Italy “will not abandon Ukraine at this most delicate moment.”

“Italy Will Not Send Troops”

Meloni outlined three security models under discussion among European and transatlantic partners.

The first centers on a strong, independent Ukrainian military, potentially maintained at around 800,000 troops in peacetime.

The second involves a multinational force operating inside Ukraine, led by a “coalition of the willing,” primarily France and the United Kingdom, with voluntary national participation to help regenerate Ukrainian forces, secure skies and seas, and operate on Ukrainian territory if required.

The third option consists of international guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5, an approach Italy originally proposed.

By laying out these alternatives, Meloni positioned Italy as engaged in shaping the framework while explicitly excluding participation in the second model.

Her emphasis remained on guarantees and support mechanisms that do not involve deploying Italian soldiers.

Limits of European Reassurance

The stance is consistent with Meloni’s position throughout 2025.

She has repeatedly rejected proposals from France and the UK for European troop deployments, describing them as difficult to implement and of uncertain effectiveness.

Italian officials have instead favored external monitoring, training Ukrainian forces outside Ukraine, and institutional guarantees without a permanent troop presence.

The remarks followed a December 15, 2025 meeting of European leaders in Berlin, which Meloni attended, where a joint statement outlined possible security packages, including a European-led multinational force with U.S. support, while stressing that contributions would be voluntary.

Meloni’s parliamentary clarification the following day confirmed Italy’s opt-out on deployments while endorsing broader efforts toward what she described as a “just and lasting peace.”