War

More than 20 countries ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine – The Telegraph

Twenty countries may join British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘s plan to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi reports citing The Telegraph.

In recent days, efforts to create a “coalition of the willing” have intensified in Europe. Britain and France are leading the way in proposals for a post-war settlement in the hope of ending the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

In addition to Britain and France, states that have publicly stated that they are considering sending peacekeeping troops to enforce the agreement include Australia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO after the United States.

A number of other countries have not ruled out sending troops, including Canada, Denmark, and Sweden.

In total, The Telegraph counted 20 countries that are ready to join Starmer’s initiative.

The summit

European leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss defense spending and the path to a peace plan in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the summit, thanked the EU for the fact that Ukraine is “not alone.”

These plans will subsequently be presented to Donald Trump as part of efforts to win back his support and ensure US participation in any peace deal.

Meanwhile, Russia has stated that it will not accept any European peacekeepers in Ukraine, claiming that this would mean NATO’s direct involvement in the war.

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Security of Ukraine and Europe

The Munich Security Conference 2025 came as a real shock to many and a cold shower to European politicians after US representatives voiced their vision of the future security model in Europe and the world. In particular, US Vice President Jay DeVance ‘s speech was about Europe no longer relying on the US security umbrella, as the US will no longer guarantee it. The Europeans were also told that the security of Ukraine after the ceasefire with Russia will also be on their shoulders, as it concerns European affairs, from which the United States is withdrawing.

And now the United States does not even “physically” see Europe at the table with Russia.

Against this backdrop, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of the European Armed Forces. This idea has already been quickly rejected in Poland.

Europeans were shocked by this turn from the United States. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first to recover, saying that his country “can and will” send its contingent to Ukraine as a peacekeeper if a truce with Russia is concluded.

on February 17, French President Emmanuel Macron urgently convened the heads of “leading European states” to form a common position on this issue. However, it was not achieved. As it turned out, Britain, France, and Sweden were in favor of sending peacekeeping contingents to Ukraine, while Germany, Poland, Italy, and Spain were against it. Later, Macron said he was not going to send troops to Ukraine.

The format of the “coalition of the willing”

The efforts of the UK and France to develop a format for peacekeeping troops in Ukraine have been called The Coalition of the Willing. This format envisages, first of all, the participation of peacekeepers from different countries in ensuring security in Ukraine after the conclusion of the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. These peacekeepers will not be deployed on the demarcation line, but in the rear. They are expected to guard various important facilities.

Also, as an option, the possibility of patrolling Ukrainian skies by European and British aircraft is being considered.

However, future peacekeepers themselves need security guarantees from the United States. They argue that only under such conditions can troops be sent to Ukraine.