US and Europe prepare long-term support plan for ukraine after war - NYT

The US and European allies have prepared drafts of two documents outlining mechanisms for supporting Ukraine after the possible end of the war. The New York Times reports this, citing informed sources.

According to the publication, the developed plan provides for strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the possible deployment of European military units on Ukrainian territory to deter new russian aggression, as well as wider use of US intelligence capabilities.

One of the documents is of a military-operational nature and describes in detail the interaction between the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the armies of European countries and the US in order to prevent new attempts by russia to expand the occupation. Although the texts have not yet been made public, sources note that they contain clear instructions for action in the event of various scenarios of the resumption of hostilities.

Among the key tasks is increasing the size of the Ukrainian army to 800б000 soldiers in peacetime, which will require long-term and large-scale support from partners. The plan also defines the role of European security forces that can ensure control of Ukraine's air and sea space, mainly based in the western regions.

Separately, the US participation in identifying possible provocations or false flag operations by the russian federation, which could become a pretext for a new escalation, is stipulated. European officials emphasize that coordination of actions between Ukraine, Europe and the United States has recently significantly strengthened.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the parties see real progress in the negotiations, which was made possible thanks to the coordinated position of Kyiv, European capitals and Washington.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on December 15, Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Ukraine's readiness to refuse to join NATO in exchange for legally supported security guarantees from the United States, similar to Article 5 of NATO.