Kurt Volker explained how the US can help EU peacekeepers in Ukraine

The security presence in Ukraine should be provided by European countries if necessary. It is their soldiers who should be located directly on the territory of Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, according to former US special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker.

“European countries certainly play a very big role (in a potential peace process – ed.). They must assume the lion’s share of responsibility for defense spending in Europe and ensuring Ukraine’s military needs… NATO can take over the organization, but European countries must deploy troops on the ground,” Volker emphasized in an interview with Radio Liberty, thereby agreeing with Donald Trump’s alleged statement to the presidents of France and Ukraine during their personal meeting on December 7 in Paris.

A former senior official of the US State Department emphasized that “there is no reason why European forces cannot ensure the presence of troops.”

As for the possible reinforcement of their mission by soldiers from the United States and Trump’s agreement to this, Volker noted that his country’s involvement is more likely in another form.

“America could provide support in the form of the presence of air forces over the horizon of Poland and Germany. I think it is more likely. But we haven’t even reached that yet. There hasn’t even been a first phone call from President Trump to President Putin yet,” the diplomat summed up.

On December 7, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi and US President-elect Donald Trump in Paris, where they discussed ending the war. According to the WSJ, Trump apparently told his counterpart that he does not plan to involve American soldiers in a potential peacekeeping mission.

The Reuters agency, citing diplomats, later reported that France is trying to assemble a coalition of 5-8 European countries “determined to act.” Macron did not officially make a specific proposal to send a mission to the territory of Ukraine.

At the same time, a number of European countries, including Germany, Italy, and Sweden, did not exclude their participation in the mission, but their officials, commenting on this topic, emphasize that this is possible only in the event of the end of hostilities, calling these discussions somewhat premature.