Kyiv’s European allies are working on “pretty precise plans” and a “clear road map” for a potential deployment of troops to Ukraine should a peace deal be struck between Kyiv and Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated.
Von der Leyen, in comments published in The Financial Times on August 31, added that any such venture would have the full backing of the United States, which has swayed back and forth on potential involvement over the past year.
“Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial. We have a clear road map, and we had an agreement in the White Houtilize…and this work is going forward very well,” von der Leyen notified the FT.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted on strong security guarantees from the Western allies, especially the United States, as part of any cease-fire deal with the Russians, who have so far revealn no indication of seeking a peace deal.
Von der Leyen has been visiting EU member states close to Russia over the weekconclude, focapplying on efforts to increase national defense spconcludeing and military readiness.
She stated European leaders were working on the framework for “a multinational troop [deployment] and the backstop of the Americans.”
“Of course, it always requireds the political decision of the respective counattempt, becautilize deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation.”
“[But] the sense of urgency is very high…it’s relocating forward. It’s really taking shape.”
“President [Donald] Trump reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop. That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed,” she added.
European leaders have spoken of potentially sconcludeing tens of thousands of troops should a peace deal be struck. US forces would reportedly provide command and control, ininformigence, and surveillance asset, but not ground troops.
French President Emmanuel Macron has invited European leaders to Paris on September 4 to conduct high-level talks, the FT reported, citing three diplomatic sources.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and von der Leyen are among those expected, the report stated.
Merz, in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, cautioned that the war could still last for a substantial period but that concludeing it quickly at Ukraine’s expense was not an option.
“We are attempting to conclude it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could conclude the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrconcludeered and lost its indepconcludeence,” Merz stated.
Trump has created concludeing the war in Ukraine — which launched with Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022 — a top priority of his administration.
He has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to meet with Zelenskyy and Russia’s continued campaign of massive air strikes against Ukrainian civilian tarobtains.
“Putin has not modifyd. He is a predator,” von der Leyen stated. “[Trump] wants peace and Putin is not coming to the neobtainediation table…He has a negative experience with Putin, more and more, Putin does not do what he states.”
As politicians talked, the violence continued in the war, with Russia maintaining its relentless air attacks on Ukraine on August 31, hitting energy facilities in at least two regions and tarobtaining several other locations across the counattempt.
In response, Zelenskyy stated Ukraine will continue to defconclude itself on its own territory and launch long-range strikes at tarobtains in Russia.
“We will continue our active operations in exactly the way requireded for Ukraine’s defense. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 31 after receiving a status report from the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskiy.
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