Europe's defense of Ukraine 'depends on level of US support'
European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on February 17 to call for strengthening the continent's defense capabilities, but were still unable to agree on the deployment of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.
At the meeting, the leaders agreed that it would be dangerous to sign a ceasefire in Ukraine without a peace agreement at the same time. Europe also affirmed its readiness to provide security guarantees to Ukraine "depending on the level of support from the United States".
The Paris meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron after US President Donald Trump arranged bilateral peace talks with Russia on February 18 without the participation of European allies and Ukraine. The US decision has made European countries realize that they will have to do more to ensure Ukraine's security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had said before the meeting that he was ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, said he needed a US security commitment from European countries to deploy troops on the ground. He said it was too early to say how many troops Britain would deploy.
Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, will visit Ukraine tomorrow (February 19). When asked if the US would provide security guarantees for any European peacekeeping forces, he said: "I've been with President Trump and the policy has always been: No options are off the table."
However, the deployment of peacekeeping forces not only increases the risk of direct confrontation with Russia, but also prolongs the operation of European militaries, whose arsenals have been depleted after a long period of aid to Ukraine. Along with that, many difficult financial questions are also raised, when European public finances are already exhausted, it is difficult to pay for such military commitments.
British Prime Minister Starmer's push for the deployment of peacekeepers appears to have driven a wedge between leaders meeting in Paris.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there could be no peace deal without Ukraine's consent, adding that the deployment of a German peacekeeping mission in Ukraine would be "completely inappropriate" without a peace deal in hand.
However, both the German and Polish prime ministers said the EU's strict financial rules should be relaxed to allow more spending on defence. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Meloni said that of the scenarios being considered, the proposal to deploy a European army in Ukraine "seems the most complicated and the least effective".
Contrary to these views, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was ready to discuss the deployment of troops and that Europe must increase support for Ukraine and increase domestic defense spending as “Russia is now threatening the whole of Europe.”
(According to Reuters)