WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
Choose language:
AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The leaders of France and Poland, Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk, met in Warsaw today to discuss the possible sending of European military forces to Ukraine.
The main goal is to provide security guarantees in the event of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reports.
As Europe prepares for Donald Trump to enter the White House, key European countries want to show the newly elected US president, who will be inaugurated on January 20, that they are ready to take their share of responsibility for ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly stressed that he will advocate for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the conflict. He has also sharply criticized European allies for not meeting the obligation to invest 2% of GDP in defense, which is a NATO standard.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country strongly supports neighboring Ukraine, hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Warsaw.
Sending European troops a key topic
One of the key issues at the meeting was the potential deployment of European military forces to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire and peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, two diplomatic sources said.
According to the sources, European troops could serve as a kind of security guarantee, given that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is unlikely in the near future. Such an initiative would also show Trump that Europe is ready to get directly involved in ensuring peace in the region.
France and Britain already discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine last month, and similar talks have been held between Ukraine, the Baltics and Scandinavian countries, five European diplomats revealed.
No consensus among European countries
“There is no general consensus among European countries. The idea is to form a coalition of 5 to 8 European countries that will not depend on NATO, but will operate on the basis of bilateral agreements with Ukraine,” said a source familiar with the initiative.
There are no concrete proposals so far, and sources say that Poland, despite its support for Ukraine, is currently not among the countries ready to send its soldiers.
Macron first put forward the idea in February, but Germany rejected the proposal at the time. Options for sending non-combat units for training, demining operations or border control were considered at the time, but none of these ideas have been implemented.
As a short-term solution, some diplomats are proposing to revive previous plans. “Do we have another choice? There is no plausible option in which European forces do not participate in providing guarantees for the security of Ukraine and the stability of Europe as a whole,” said a senior European official.
The official stressed that even after the war ends, Europe will have to face the threat of Russia. “We will have to take on some of the military burden to ensure the stability of Ukraine,” he added.
Financial support
In addition to military support, the talks in Poland and Berlin focused on financial support for Ukraine, as well as ways to strengthen European defense policy through joint financing.
Poland had previously advocated for increased joint defense financing by European allies, but had met with resistance. According to a Polish government source, the situation changed after the election of Donald Trump. “Since Trump’s victory, our European allies have realized that we were right. Trump’s arrival forced them to step up their support,” the source said.
