Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin says French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that Europe could send ground troops to Ukraine opens a “frightening scenario”. Source: Vatican News.
Mr Macron announced on Monday new steps to boost Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, saying he cannot rule out Western troops being deployed to achieve Europe’s goal of defeating Moscow.
“It’s a truly frightening scenario,” Cardinal Parolin said on the sidelines of a Vatican event on Tuesday afternoon, “because it would bring about the escalation that we have always tried to avoid from the beginning. It’s a scenario that I wouldn’t call apocalyptic, because perhaps that’s an exaggerated word at this moment, but certainly it’s fearsome.”
Asked about the possible reasons for Mr Macron’s suggestion, he said it is probably due to the fact that after two years of war there is still “no prospect of a solution on the horizon, be it military or negotiated”.
“It would be ideal to really find a way to get the two sides to start talking and dialoguing,” Cardinal Parolin said. “I believe that if we talk, a solution will be found.
“Various types of solutions have been proposed. The important thing is that there is the will to implement them.”
Regarding the Israeli-Hamas conflict, Cardinal Parolin confirmed that there have been no developments in diplomatic contacts with Israel, reiterating that what the Holy See wants is for dialogue to start: “Our concern is, first of all, to find a way to have the hostages released and for humanitarian assistance which continues to be very difficult. So the only path is that of a ceasefire.”
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Cardinal Parolin: Prospect of EU military intervention in Ukraine is “frightening” (By Antonella Palermo, Vatican News)
