Europe discusses sending troops to Ukraine if ceasefire agreement is reached

Reuters reports, citing sources.

The talks are still at an early stage, and differences in positions on the goals and mandate of such a peacekeeping mission are already emerging. European leaders want to avoid giving Putin the impression that the time has come for negotiations and that he will be able to keep the seized territories.

However, they are still discussing how European countries can create security guarantees for Ukraine, including by stationing tens of thousands of their soldiers on Ukrainian territory. This carries risks: a greater likelihood of direct confrontation with Russia and the stretching of European troops, whose reserves are depleted by military aid to Ukraine and who are accustomed to US support in large missions. Trump has already managed to declare that American soldiers will not take part in this.

According to sources, the bulk of the forces in Ukraine could be formed by France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Analysts estimate that it would be advisable to create a deterrent force of 40,000 soldiers. However, it will probably be necessary to have 100,000 soldiers involved in the mission, because there will be rotations.

Emmanuel Macron, promoting the idea of ​​sending European troops to Ukraine, faced a negative reaction. For example, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw has no plans to join the deterrent force, while German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added that Berlin will likely play a role in achieving a ceasefire, but believes it is too early to say what kind of forces will be needed for this.