Countries to send military team to Ukraine for “reassurance force” planning

This was reported by The Washington Post.

According to France and the UK, deploying a "coalition of the willing" would help protect Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure, while also providing logistical and training support to the Ukrainian military after the war.

"The countries plan to send a military team to Ukraine in the coming weeks to determine how many troops would be needed for this “reassurance force,” and where they should be stationed. And they will confer with Ukraine on beefing up its army to hold a future front line," the outlet writes.

Two diplomats noted that European attention is also on developing Ukraine’s air and naval forces, as military leaders stress the limitations of deploying large ground forces. Some countries are offering their capabilities to patrol Ukrainian airspace and the Black Sea.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that military planners from dozens of countries are “coming forward with contributions on everything from logistics and command and control, to deployments on land, air and sea.”

However, despite extensive talks, some European leaders have not made clear commitments, as many remain uncertain about U.S. support. Some countries refuse to deploy their forces without a firm U.S. pledge to step in if Russia poses a threat.

“My wish is that the Americans are engaged at our side,” Macron told reporters. “But we have to be prepared for a situation in which they maybe don’t join in. … We can’t say that if the Americans don’t join us, we won’t do anything.”

Trump has not given any clear commitments. Meanwhile, European diplomats report mixed signals from the U.S. administration, including from Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff, who has called the initiative “simplistic.”

A French official, however, stated that Trump has not ruled out U.S. support and that the initiative is being pursued "in perfect harmony with our Americans partners, who are interested in this approach and have told us it’s a good one."