France, UK to present U.S. with comprehensive post-war deterrence plan for Ukraine

This was reported by Bloomberg.

According to UK Defense Minister John Healey and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu, military leaders from both countries plan to finalize details within the next two weeks on how a Europe-led “coalition of the willing” can help Ukraine secure its airspace, coastline, and territory, as well as support the rebuilding of its armed forces.

Sources cited by the outlet noted that the effort aims to demonstrate that Europe is serious about investing its own resources in Ukraine’s post-war future — and to persuade the U.S. President to provide support in the form of air power, border security, and intelligence.

Lecornu emphasized that 30 members of the coalition — including non-European countries such as Canada, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand — have been asked to provide written responses by the end of next week outlining the contributions they are prepared to make.

Notably, 15 countries have already proposed deploying forces, including aircraft and naval vessels.

However, Trump remains skeptical about providing security guarantees to Ukraine, despite the fact that a plan to create Europe-led "deterrence forces" was first proposed two months ago. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that while he welcomes Europe’s increased support for Ukraine, the Trump administration's position remains unchanged.

“For the U.S. to actually participate in this, they need to see that we are doing a lot,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told reporters at NATO headquarters on Friday. “One of the most important roles for the U.S. is monitoring the ceasefire.”

According to Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, the level of U.S. involvement will depend on the level of risk facing the forces. He stated, “The higher the risk of confrontation, the more important it is that the U.S. is closely involved.”

Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine: What is known

At the end of January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that securing Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities would require at least 200,000 peacekeepers. He later clarified that the peacekeeping force should include U.S. troops.

On February 11, The New York Times reported that Europe does not have 200,000 peacekeepers available to send to Ukraine — nearly three times the size of the entire British Army. On the same day, Zelenskyy said the mission would become viable if 100,000 to 150,000 European troops were deployed.

According to the AP, a group of European countries is confidentially developing a plan to send troops to Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for the deployment of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine but stated that the United States would not participate.

According to French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lémonde, European countries are currently discussing only the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine — not the number involved.

Meanwhile, German defense contractor Rheinmetall has announced its readiness to supply weapons to peacekeepers in Ukraine.

On March 16, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned that the Kremlin would view the deployment of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as a declaration of war against NATO.

On March 21, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that his country could send peacekeepers to Ukraine only under the United Nations flag.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a UN peacekeeping mission cannot be an alternative to a military contingent or security guarantees.