Number of countries ready to send up to 30,000 soldiers to Ukraine under security guarantees - Media
Illustrative photo: up to 30,000 soldiers from Western countries could be deployed to Ukraine (Getty Images)
The meeting of leaders of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on September 4 ended with some concrete outcomes. In particular, the possible size of the European contingent in Ukraine and the role of countries in supporting the military mission were clarified, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, Radio Svoboda reports.
In particular, only 21 of the 30 countries present have proposed concrete security guarantees. And only 10 of these 21 countries are ready and willing to send troops to Ukraine and continue working on security guarantees after the end of hostilities.
Who is willing and what they are prepared to do
The United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Baltic states, the Netherlands, and Australia are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine. The European ground mission is expected to consist of 25–30 thousand soldiers, with the United Kingdom playing the leading role.
Türkiye will ensure maritime security, while the United States is expected to provide air security and intelligence, although Washington’s exact contribution is still unclear.
Germany has not yet taken a definitive position. The issue is that Berlin is unsure whether it can push a troop deployment plan through the Bundestag. Poland has openly stated that it is not ready to send soldiers, but is willing to serve as a logistical hub.
"I am positively surprised by the advanced nature of the military planning and the promises regarding troops that the UK and France have secured for support forces, air patrols, and naval mine-clearing missions. There are concrete calculations of the number of troops already available (from coalition members), but everyone says it depends on a peace agreement, the role of the US, and, in many cases, parliamentary approval," one source told the outlet.
What Western troops will do in Ukraine
It has not yet been clearly agreed what exactly Western troops will do in Ukraine. For example, it is unclear whether it will be simply a training mission, stationed in major cities in central and western Ukraine, or something more extensive.
The question of how EU forces would respond to provocations from Russia also remains unresolved, sources told the publication. The problem is that it is unknown how European troops would act if the Russians decided to open fire on them.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during talks with US President Donald Trump, the issue of a new format for protecting Ukrainian airspace from Russian attacks was raised.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
On August 18, a meeting took place at the White House between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders.
After the White House meeting, Zelenskyy said that the details of the guarantees were expected to be agreed upon within 10 days. However, the timeline was later pushed back by another week. US President Donald Trump publicly assured that Europe would provide "significant" guarantees, and the US would support these commitments.
Today, September 4, leaders of several European countries met in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Ahead of the Coalition of the Willing meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the preparation of security guarantees for Ukraine had been completed. The contributions of allies were documented and confirmed at the level of defense ministers.
