NEW YORK, August 27. /TASS/. European leaders are forced to acknowledge that many of their voters are against sending troops to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"A plan to send thousands of European troops into Ukraine if a peace deal is reached between Kiev and Moscow is running up against a key skeptic: the European public," the newspaper said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Eastern European countries don’t want to "divert forces from their own borders." Italy and Germany, "which is haunted by the legacy of World War II," also oppose deploying their servicemen to Ukraine. Denmark, the Netherlands and Estonia have voiced readiness to send servicemen, the newspaper noted. According to officials, the UK, as part of the "European peacekeeping mission," "will likely be focused on maritime and air domains, helping police the skies and seas to deter any Russian encroachment." Together, London and Paris plan to commit between 6,000 and 10,000 troops out of the 30,000 planned for the mission.
In addition, European officials are unsure whether the US would support such a mission. Without the US support, "it is hard to sell the public on any deployment," The Wall Street Journal pointed out. The newspaper also recalled that US President Donald Trump "ruled out placing troops on the ground while saying the US will have some role in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security."
Earlier, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that some ten countries are ready to send their troops to Ukraine within the framework of a potential peace settlement. On August 18, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia would not accept any scenarios involving the deployment of NATO countries’ contingents in Ukraine, which could lead to the conflict spiraling out of control.