A group of European countries are secretly developing a plan to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Europe is concerned that US security priorities lie in other areas.
This is reported by The Associated Press.
According to the publication, Britain and France are at the forefront of efforts regarding a possible peacekeeping mission. European countries have begun to study what forces might be needed.
But there have been fears that US President Donald Trump could make a deal with russian dictator vladimir putin without the EU.
According to the AP, in December 2024, even before Trump's inauguration, a group of leaders and ministers met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's headquarters in Brussels. Representatives from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as senior EU officials, were there.
The talks were based on an idea put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2024, but it was met with criticism at the time.
The publication adds that the peacekeeping force will depend on the terms of the peace treaty and other factors.
"We are at a very early stage," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
He said that despite the various discussions and rumors, it is "critically important" for European allies to understand what the front line in Ukraine will look like before developing a plan.
The Estonian minister stressed that if russia and Ukraine reduce their forces along the front line to "a couple of thousand" on both sides, then "it will not be a problem for Europe to be there as well," but it will be much more difficult if the conflict is "boiling."
Experts and officials believe that in the current situation in Ukraine, it will be necessary to deploy a stronger and more numerous contingent than simple peacekeepers, for example, like the UN "blue helmets".
"They (the russians, - ed.) violate all agreements. Therefore, if we send troops there, they should have aviation, large ground forces, drones, counter-drones, air and missile defense," said Ben Hodges, former commander of US forces in Europe.
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