Slovenian FM urges continued support for Ukraine
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Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon stressed the need for ongoing support for Ukraine and its future NATO bid amid the ongoing war with Russia.
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Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon addresses the eleventh emergency special session of the General Assembly, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. (AP)
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon emphasized the importance of continued support for Ukraine while noting that it is not yet ready for NATO membership, following her participation in a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
"Slovenia regrets the irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and the deployment of troops from North Korea to Russia, which creates a risk of escalation... The only response to such actions is to provide permanent support to Ukraine so that it can effectively exercise its legitimate right to self-defense," the ministry said citing Fajon.
She also discussed Kiev's aspirations to join the North Atlantic Alliance, stating that the current conditions are not yet favorable for full membership. Fajon highlighted that the key issue is not whether Ukraine will eventually join NATO, but when it will be prepared to do so.
Scholz rejects Baerbock's plan to send troops to monitor Kiev ceasefire
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected his own foreign minister's suggestion that Germany monitors a possible ceasefire agreement between Moscow and Kiev in Ukraine.
Answering inquiries from MPs in the German parliament, Scholz stated that deploying the military to Ukraine was "out of the question" for him.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had said at a NATO summit on Wednesday that she could envision international soldiers being sent to Ukraine to monitor a peace agreement.
When questioned if this could involve German soldiers, she stated that "the German side will support everything that serves peace in the future… with all its strength."
The discussion around European soldiers enforcing a ceasefire in Ukraine has intensified since Donald Trump's re-election as he explores a plan for a frozen 800-mile buffer zone between the Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Trump's envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, co-authored a contentious peace proposal earlier this year with former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz entitled America First, which proposes halting US weapons deliveries to Ukraine if it refuses to enter peace talks while escalating military support if Russia resists negotiations. The plan also suggests delaying or abandoning Ukraine's NATO membership as a bargaining chip to bring Moscow to the table.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated over the weekend that deploying European soldiers to Ukraine "could not be ruled out," and former PM of the UK Boris Johnson advocated last week for British and European soldiers to be sent to Ukraine in such a case.
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