US President Donald Trump is in talks with European allies about the possible involvement of US private military companies (PMCs) in operations in Ukraine. According to the plan, they will build fortifications, bases and protect American interests in the country.
This is what the authors of the influential publication The Telegraph write about.
This approach is seen as a compromise after Trump's statement that regular US troops will not be deployed in Ukraine. A source in the British government says that private American contractors "puts American 'boots', i.e. American passport holders, on the ground, which is then effectively the deterrent to Putin".
According to the plan, the presence of the PMCs should be a signal to the kremlin: any attack on them could provoke a US response. European officials believe that this could increase the deterrent effect and at the same time reduce domestic opposition in the US against "foreign intervention".
The plan is being discussed as part of broader talks on security guarantees for Ukraine, led by Britain and France. Options include:
- creating a buffer zone between Ukraine and russia,
- deploying up to 30,000 European troops,
- patrolling airspace to open Ukrainian airports,
- forming a Turkish-led Black Sea task force to protect shipping.
"The principal aim is to demonstrate to the Ukrainians that we would be in the fight with you if Russia re-invades," one Western official explained.
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