6 countries ready to send troops for Ukraine 'reassurance force' so far, AFP reports
Only six countries have said so far that they are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of the international “coalition of the willing” in case of a ceasefire, AFP reported on April 10, citing undisclosed European officials.
The U.K., France, the Baltic nations, and another unnamed country stand ready to send their soldiers, while other leaders want to see a more detailed plan before making commitments, according to the news agency.
AFP’s figure suggests that the number of willing countries is much lower than earlier reported. On April 9, Bloomberg wrote that 15 nations are open to sending their troops.
The British- and French-led coalition’s meeting in Brussels on April 10 shed further details on the so-called reassurance force. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey explained that the troops would be primarily tasked with strengthening Ukraine’s military rather than operating as a traditional peacekeeping force separating the two belligerent sides.
In spite of this, many leaders of some 30-member strong coalition require more flashed out mission details.
“What is the mandate? What would we do in the different scenarios, for example, if there would be any escalation regarding Russia?” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said, according to AFP.
“It’s helpful if there’s a clarity of what that mission would entail, and what do we do — if we are peacekeeping, deterrence or reassurance,” Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said.
Coalition members unwilling to commit ground troops have been reportedly asked to provide other types of support, including intelligence, arms, or naval forces.
Another major hurdle is the U.S. participation, which London sees as a necessary condition for effective deterrence against Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has signaled intent to reduce U.S. military presence in Europe and ruled out sending troops as part of the reassurance force. London and Paris are seeking to convince Washington to at least provide airpower or intelligence support but have so far failed to extract any commitments.
Since taking office, Trump has sought to broker a peace deal in Ukraine while resuming direct communications with Moscow. The efforts to negotiate a ceasefire have largely stalled as Russia rejected a full 30-day truce backed by Kyiv and repeatedly violated the partial halt on strikes against energy infrastructure.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York