European officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal said that the UK and France are devising a post-war peacekeeping plan for Ukraine and Russia. The plan involves deploying up to 30,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine. However, Europe is requesting that this plan have U.S. military support as a “backstop”.
The success of this peacekeeping plan, according to European officials, relies on convincing U.S. President Trump to agree to limited military involvement, acting as the “backstop” as described by the UK, in order to provide protection to European troops stationed in Ukraine when facing danger and to deter Russia from violating any ceasefire agreements.
British Prime Minister Stammer and French President Macron are planning to visit the U.S. this week separately to meet with Trump, where they are expected to discuss this plan.
Officials emphasized that this European plan does not require the U.S. to deploy its own troops in Ukraine but will seek U.S. assistance in military capabilities that European forces lack.
For example, U.S. could operate air defense systems in neighboring countries that cover parts of Ukraine, while also providing other air defense systems to Europe. U.S. air forces stationed outside Ukraine could be on standby to prevent European forces from being in harm’s way.
European officials mentioned that Stammer is expected to present this evolving plan to Trump, but specific requests for U.S. assistance cannot be made at this time. Macron will outline allies’ views on the war and how to pacify Ukraine more broadly to Trump.
These officials told The Epoch Times that without Trump’s support, the plan to dispatch peacekeepers by Europe would face challenges. The U.S. National Security Council and the British embassy in Washington declined to comment. Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz encouraged Europe to devise a plan to protect Ukraine but did not discuss the military role the U.S. might play.
There are also divisions among European leaders regarding whether to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine post-war. On February 17, European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris regarding the Ukraine issue.
British PM Stammer was the first among European leaders to announce willingness to send troops. He stated, “We are at a very early stage of this process. Europe must step up. If there is a lasting peace agreement, I am prepared to commit British troops to be stationed in the region (Ukraine) alongside troops from other countries, but it must have the U.S. as a backstop because U.S. security guarantees are the only effective way to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again.”
He also added, “The U.S. will not leave NATO, but we Europeans must do more.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended, expressed that talking about deploying peacekeeping troops in Ukraine without reaching any peace agreement is “premature at the moment, and discussing it now is totally wrong.”