**Italy Willing to Join Ukraine Peace Mission**
Italy is ready to join a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, according to Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. This comes as there are growing hopes for ceasefire talks in the country.
Crosetto made his comments on December 12 in Madrid. He said that Italy could play a role in monitoring a future truce in Ukraine, along with other countries like Gaza and Lebanon.
This is the first time a European country has publicly expressed its willingness to join such a mission. France’s President Emmanuel Macron had previously floated this idea but it was not taken up by the UK or Poland.
**Italy Not Alone in Thinking**
However, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani thinks that discussing peacekeeping missions in Ukraine now is premature. He said that Russia’s war in Ukraine must be fully stopped before any peace talks begin.
The UK and Poland have also said they are not considering deploying troops to Ukraine at this time. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, however, has said that the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine should not be ruled out.
**European Countries to Play a Greater Role**
As US President-elect Trump prepares to take office, there are expectations that European countries will play a greater role in helping Ukraine defend itself and deter future Russian aggression.