Europe quietly working on plan to send troops to Ukraine for post-war security - AP
Kyiv • UNN
The United Kingdom and France are leading the initiative to deploy troops to Ukraine to ensure future peace.
A group of European countries is quietly working on a plan to send troops to Ukraine to help secure a future peace settlement with Russia, the Associated Press reports, UNN writes.
Details
"A group of European countries, increasingly concerned that U.S. security priorities are elsewhere, is quietly working on a plan to send troops to Ukraine to help secure any future peace settlement with Russia. The UK and France are at the forefront of the effort, although details are scarce," the newspaper writes.
As noted, "the countries involved in the discussions do not want to reveal their cards and give Russian President Vladimir Putin an advantage if he agrees to negotiate an end to the war he started three years ago.
"I won't go into the details of specific capabilities, but I agree that if there is to be peace, there must be some security guarantees for Ukraine, and the United Kingdom will play a role in that," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said cautiously on Thursday.
The Europeans, the publication notes, began studying what forces might be needed about a year ago.
"Many questions remain unanswered, but one stands out: what role, if any, can the United States play?" - the publication notes.
In December, after Trump's election but before he took office, a group of leaders and ministers met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the residence of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels. They came from the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland. High-level EU officials were also present.
The talks were based on an idea put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2024. At the time, his refusal to rule out the deployment of troops on the territory of Ukraine caused outrage, especially among the leaders of Germany and Poland.
Macron seemed to be isolated on the European stage, but since then his plan has gained momentum, the newspaper points out.
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Nevertheless, as noted, much of what the forces might look like and who will participate will depend on the terms of any peace settlement and much more.
"The composition and role of the force will be dictated by the type of peace agreement reached. If Russia and Ukraine can agree on terms as the negotiations progress, it is likely that fewer security measures and a smaller force will be needed," the newspaper writes.
But, as indicated, experts and officials warn that in the current state of affairs, Europeans should deploy a reliable and significant contingent, not a team of peacekeepers like the UN's Blue Helmets.
"It has to be a real force (so) that the Russians know that if they ever test it, they will be crushed. And you can be sure that Russia will test it," Ben Hodges, former U.S. Army commander in Europe, told an event at the European Policy Center last month.
The nature of the peace agreement, as indicated, will determine the size and location of the European contingent.
"Zelenskyy insisted on the number of at least 100,000-150,000 troops. Media reports suggested a number of 30,000-40,000. Diplomats and officials have not confirmed any of these figures. Ukraine also wants air support, not just ground troops," the newspaper writes.
As the publication notes, "it is clear that it will be difficult for the Europeans to assemble a large-scale force, and they certainly will not be able to do it quickly.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Friday, Macron said that the idea of deploying a huge force is "far-fetched.
"We have to do what is appropriate, realistic, well thought out, balanced and coordinated," he said.
This week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagel insisted on "robust international oversight of the contact line.
Almost everyone agrees that some kind of "American support" is needed.
On Wednesday at NATO headquarters, Hughes began to describe the conditions under which the United States could agree to a force that would help provide Ukraine with "credible security guarantees to ensure that war does not start again.
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"Any security guarantee has to be backed up by capable European and non-European troops," Hughes told nearly 50 Western supporters of Ukraine. If they go to Ukraine, he said, "they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission.
Any European allies involved will not benefit from NATO's collective security guarantees if they are attacked, Hughes said. He emphasized that "American troops will not be sent to Ukraine.
He did not say what role the United States could play.
From Ukraine's point of view, a European-only operation simply won't work. "Any security guarantees are impossible without the Americans," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga warned on Thursday.
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