LONDON, November 28. /TASS/. European governments have not seriously worked out a plan to send their servicemen to Ukraine to guarantee the country's security, but the idea is being discussed at a high level, The Economist reported, citing sources.

The magazine's article, which analyzes President-elect Donald Trump's possible policy toward Ukraine, notes that the country would like to obtain NATO membership as a guarantee of security as part of a possible settlement of the conflict. But Trump and his nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, are skeptical of the alliance. In addition, Kiev's accession to NATO could be blocked by Hungary. According to the magazine, in this context, some in Trump's entourage have expressed the idea that the countries of Europe could form a coalition of those willing to send their contingents to Ukraine.

The Economist pointed out that such a plan would be costly, and, in addition, European countries would want the participation of the US servicemen in some format, for example, by providing indirect support or air defense cover. But European governments have not yet worked out such a plan in detail. "We haven’t detected any sort of serious planning effort behind the big idea," a source told the magazine.

At the same time, The Economist specified that "the big idea is at least being discussed at high levels in European capitals." Such a plan would be welcomed by the countries of northern and eastern Europe, but less so in the countries of western and southern Europe. And while public opinion in European countries is generally more opposed to such an idea, the deployment of a European multinational contingent "might seem more palatable" after a ceasefire in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on February 26 that at a meeting in Paris attended by representatives of about 20 Western countries, the issue of the possible deployment of Western ground forces in Ukraine was raised. According to him, the participants did not reach a consensus on this issue, but such a scenario cannot be ruled out in the future. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the appearance of foreign military contingents in Ukraine would have extremely negative, even irreparable consequences.