NEW YORK, February 11. /TASS/. European countries will face difficulties in case of sending even a relatively small contingent of 40,000 servicemen as part of the "deterrent force" to Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing sources and experts.
According to the newspaper, European countries cannot send even 200,000 troops to Ukraine, as Vladimir Zelensky wanted, because "even a more modest number of European soldiers like 40,000 would be a difficult goal for a continent with slow economic growth, troop shortages and the need to increase military spending for its own protection." A high-ranking European official said that "any boots on the ground must have American support," otherwise the servicemen deployed "would be permanently vulnerable."
At the same time, according to Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King’s College London, "a real deterrent force would typically require well over 100,000 troops assigned to the mission for regular rotations and emergencies." Against this background, the New York Times wrote that the idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine "seems reckless to many officials and analysts." The newspaper also said that some European countries, including France, the United Kingdom and the Baltic states, have already weighed including their soldiers as part of a contingent that could potentially be deployed in Ukraine. Meanwhile, senior German officials believe it is "premature" to seriously discuss the issue.
Discussions on sending troops to Ukraine
Earlier, many proposals were made to send peacekeeping contingents to the demarcation line between Ukraine and Russia, but after the ceasefire. Several politicians, including French President Emmanuel Macron, are said to be discussing the numbers of the mission, in which there could be 40,000 troops. According to the media, the administration of US President Donald Trump is considering forming a mission of 200,000 troops, but only at the expense of the European contingent. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the presence of foreign military contingents in Ukraine will have extremely negative consequences.