Ukraine Plan Calls For Enhanced Military, With U.S. and European Backup

The U.S.-European peace plan to deter future Russian attacks on Ukraine calls for a more robust Ukrainian military, the deployment of European forces inside the country and increased use of American intelligence, according to officials familiar with drafts that detail the proposal, The New York Times reports.

American and European diplomats meeting with Ukraine’s leaders over the past two days in Berlin have mostly signed off on two documents that outline the security guarantees, the officials said publicly and privately.

One of the two documents lays out broad principles. They amount to what two American officials and several European diplomats said was a commitment similar to NATO’s Article 5 guarantee, in which all member nations pledge to come to the aid of any nation that is attacked.

The second part of the agreement, which American officials described as a “mil-to-mil operating document,” or military-to-military, provides more granular detail. It explains how American and European forces would work with Ukraine’s military to ensure that Russia does not once again attempt to seize Ukrainian territory in the years to come.

Neither document has been made public. People familiar with them said the operating document includes numerous, specific directives designed to reassure Ukraine in various scenarios of possible Russian incursion. One American official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said that the document was “very specific” about how to deter further incursions and punish Russia if they occur.

The first priority is a plan to bring the size of Ukraine’s military to a “peacetime level” of 800,000 troops, with up-to-date training and equipment, to serve as a strong deterrent against Russia.

One European diplomat said without specifying that the document lists “very concrete” details about military hardware that Ukraine needs.

The document also lays out details about a Europe-led military force to assist Ukraine by operating inside the country to secure the skies and seas. Officials declined to provide specifics about which countries would station troops in Ukraine, but Mr. Zelensky said Tuesday that several have pledged privately to do so. Those troops are expected to be based in western Ukraine, away from any cease-fire line, to serve as another level of deterrence against any future Russian aggression.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine. Instead, the operational document provides detail about how the United States would use its vast intelligence systems to help monitor the cease-fire and detect Russian activity aimed at re-entering the rest of Ukraine, officials said. The Americans would also help verify Russian compliance and make sure that minor skirmishes between Russia and Ukraine do not spiral into a new war.

American and European officials said the new security guarantee would be legally binding, subject to each country’s procedures.