Little enthusiasm for European peacekeeping troops for Ukraine

Reuters Little enthusiasm for European peacekeeping troops for Ukraine 2 hours • 3 minutes reading time Berlin/London (Reuters) - Shortly before the European Ukraine conference in Paris, there are clear differences of opinion about what security guarantees could be offered to Ukraine after a peace agreement. While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered to send soldiers, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejected this for his country. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at least did not rule it out. The German government, on the other hand, insisted that the Europeans must definitely be at the table for negotiations between the USA and Russia. "It would be negligent to promise Trump something for a deal that we do not even know the beginning of," said a government representative in Berlin. French President Emmanuel Macron had invited people to the two-hour meeting on Monday afternoon in Paris at short notice after US President Donald Trump announced that he would negotiate a peace solution for Ukraine with Russia. In addition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the heads of government of Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland will take part in the discussions. The US government is preparing a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dampened expectations: He ruled out territorial concessions by his country, which has occupied around 20 percent of Ukraine's territory since the attack on the neighboring country in 2022. "Territorial concessions to today's Ukraine were made by the Soviet leadership during the founding of the USSR," said Lavrov. He mocked the US government's demand that Ukraine should pay for US aid with access to raw materials such as rare earths. The Europeans fear that Trump might make too many concessions to Putin. Chancellor Scholz once again rejected a "dictated peace" and demilitarization of Ukraine on Sunday evening. EUROPEANS MUST SET A LINE The announcement of the US plans has put the Europeans under pressure to clarify what they want to do for Ukraine in the future. The US special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on Saturday that the Europeans would not be at the table. However, several US government representatives, such as Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, have played down this rejection in background discussions. Kellogg had presented the European NATO allies with a questionnaire to ask what security guarantees they can give for Ukraine. The background to this is also the clear American announcement that the USA sees a role here primarily for the Europeans. Scholz, however, made it clear that the USA and the Europeans must also take this step together. The background to this is the concern that any European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine could be attacked by Russia and that the superpower USA would then not want to help. Macron had already made the suggestion of deploying ground troops in Ukraine last year, but was met with clear rejection. Now, however, it is not about combat troops, but about forces that could prevent Russia from attacking again after a peace agreement. A Ukrainian government representative told the Reuters news agency that so far only France and Great Britain have said that they could imagine sending peacekeepers. The decision to possibly "put British soldiers in danger" was not an easy one for him, writes Starmer in an article for the Daily Telegraph newspaper. However, a lasting peace in Ukraine is essential to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from further aggression. According to British government sources, Starmer is due to meet Trump next week. "This question does not arise today at all," stressed CDU leader Merz on Sunday evening in the TV quadrangle on RTL/ntv when asked about the deployment of German soldiers. "The question of whether there will be security guarantees for Ukraine and, if so, who will provide them, is a question that will only arise after a robust, permanent ceasefire," he said. Chancellor Scholz (SPD) sees the best way forward as the permanent equipment and financing of a strong Ukrainian army. At the same time, however, he warns that no pre-determinations should be made over the heads of the Ukrainians.