Europe may send up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine in case of ceasefire - #Reuters

European countries are discussing sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace agreement.

This is stated in a Reuters article.

Journalists say that this is because Donald Trump has made it clear that he will not send the US military to Ukraine.

In Europe, leaders insist on increasing military and economic aid to Ukraine, and see no signs of Putin's willingness to negotiate.

"Behind the scenes, however, some officials are considering how European countries can provide security guarantees for Ukraine, including through a force of tens of thousands of soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Such a force would increase the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia and stretch European troops, whose stockpiles of weapons have been depleted by the aid to Ukraine and who have come to rely heavily on US support," the newspaper writes.

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Officials told Reuters that major European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom could form the bulk of the force.

One Ukrainian official familiar with the discussions believes that a deterrence force could be formed by a coalition of about five to eight countries.

Some analysts suggest that about 40,000 troops would be appropriate. A European security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that up to 100,000 troops might be needed.

The mandate of the mission is also being discussed. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crozetto said that it should be under the auspices of the UN, but some officials oppose this, as Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

According to analysts, the Europeans will also likely have to convince the United States to join the initiative in some way, at least to help with intelligence, etc.

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Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine
Earlier, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron would discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine if an agreement is reached to end the current phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk denied that Polish troops would be sent to Ukraine after the ceasefire.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, assessed the possibility of sending a European peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crozetto expressed his readiness to support a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine if peace is achieved.

In turn, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called these discussions "premature".

Germany, together with its partners , will consider the possible deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of "security guarantees" only after the conditions for this are created, namely a ceasefire with Russia.