European troops won't fight for Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Photo: European military personnel (Getty Images)
The presence of European troops does not mean that they will fight instead of Ukraine. It will reduce the likelihood of aggression from Russia, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while speaking with journalists in Brussels.
“We do not believe that Europe should replace the United States. And we certainly feel the same way about the security guarantees of the United States, which will be Article 5-like, and we will not need European support. These are different things,” Zelenskyy said.
The president added that despite Russia's signals about excluding Europeans, it cannot be done.
“And no matter what signals Russia sends, we understand that they would like to exclude the presence of Europeans. It cannot be done. These are different things,” he explained.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Europe's presence does not mean that European countries will fight instead of Ukraine.
“This does not mean that if Russia's aggression resumes, Europe will be able to fight with its presence. No one is talking about that. Europe's presence reduces the chances of 100% aggression from Russia. Definitely,” the president said.
He added that the number of countries, flags, and the large presence of a Coalition of the Willing in one form or another create risks for Russia to launch a new aggression against Ukraine.
“Europe's presence is important to us,” Zelenskyy concluded.
Foreign troops in Ukraine
Kyiv and its partners are considering the deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee, which will be possible after the war ends.
Several Ukraine's allies have already agreed to send their troops to Ukraine, including the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Baltic states, the Netherlands, and Australia.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently stated that the Coalition of the Willing had prepared plans to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and, if necessary, deploy troops on Ukrainian territory.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that, provided security guarantees from the US and Europe, Western peacekeepers could use force against the Russian army in the event of a violation of the ceasefire in Ukraine.
