U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will present U.S. President Donald Trump with a plan to deploy up to 30,000 European troops to monitor a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, the Telegraph reported on Feb. 19, citing undisclosed Western officials.
Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are going to travel to the U.S. next week to discuss the prospects of peace negotiations with Trump.
European leaders gathered in Paris on Feb. 17 for an emergency summit amid concerns that Washington is advancing peace talks with Moscow without Europe’s involvement. A broader meeting was held on Feb. 19, after which Macron reaffirmed the "united" stance of France and its allies on Ukraine.
Starmer is reportedly planning to reveal details of how European troops would be able to enforce any ceasefire brokered by Trump.
According to the plan, European troops would be deployed in Ukrainian cities, ports, and other critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants "far away from the current front lines," the Telegraph wrote.
The U.S. has ruled out sending its own troops while encouraging European allies to take the lead in securing Ukraine's post-war stability.
The Western official claimed the mission would rely on "technical monitoring," including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as drones and satellites. They also added that sufficient firepower would support the mission to "monitor and shoot those attacks down" to reopen Ukraine's airspace and allow commercial flights.
The purpose of this support is to ensure that "whatever forces are deployed will not be challenged by Russia," a source told the newspaper.
According to the Telegraph, Starmer will urge Trump to keep U.S. fighter jets and missiles in NATO countries in Eastern Europe ready to respond to any future Russian aggression.
Apart from the U.K. and France, other countries remain cautious about sending their troops to Ukraine, citing concerns over the escalation and limited military resources, according to the Washington Post.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv had made significant progress in securing a foreign military presence on its territory.
On Jan. 22, Zelensky said the number of European peacekeepers required to maintain peace in Ukraine would depend on the size of Ukraine's own military.
Kateryna Denisova
