EU, UK push for deployment of European-led force in Ukraine
The proposal followed talks in Berlin on Monday with US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as a Ukrainian delegation. Leaders of Germany, France, the UK, and eight other European nations, along with EU officials, issued a joint statement outlining “robust security guarantees” for Kyiv.
The statement envisions a European-led “Multinational Force Ukraine,” comprised of contributions from willing nations under the Coalition of the Willing framework and supported by the US. This force would assist in rebuilding Ukraine’s military, securing its airspace, and supporting maritime safety, including operations inside Ukraine.
While the UK and France have long advocated sending European troops once a ceasefire is reached, it remains unclear which nations are ready to contribute. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk immediately rejected the plan, citing the need to defend NATO’s eastern flank, while Italy has also opposed sending its forces to Ukraine.
Moscow has firmly rejected the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine under any pretext, warning that Kyiv could use any ceasefire to rearm and regroup. Russia continues to push for a permanent peace addressing the conflict’s root causes.
The European plan also includes a US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism and calls for legally binding commitments—subject to national procedures—to support Kyiv with armed forces, intelligence, logistical aid, and economic and diplomatic measures. The Trump administration has not confirmed the extent of its backing, though media reports suggest it may offer NATO-style security guarantees to Kyiv if territorial concessions to Russia are agreed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv will not recognize Donbass as Russian “neither de jure nor de facto.” Other proposals in the plan include significant support for rebuilding Ukraine’s armed forces, backing Ukraine’s EU accession, and investing in the country’s future prosperity using frozen Russian sovereign assets—a move Moscow has warned would constitute theft and has challenged legally through Euroclear.
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