Europe to present Trump with Ukraine force plan within weeks

Japan Times

12-04-2025

The U.K. and France are planning to present Donald Trump with a comprehensive plan for a postwar "reassurance force' in Ukraine that they hope will persuade the U.S. president to commit to security guarantees for Kyiv, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the next two weeks, military chiefs aim to hammer out the details of how a Europe-led "coalition of the willing' will help ensure the security of Ukraine's airspace, coastline and land as well as the regeneration of its forces, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu said Friday.
This, they hope, will demonstrate that Europe is serious about committing its own resources to Ukraine's postwar future and convince the U.S. president to provide a "backstop' in the form of air power, border surveillance and intelligence, said the people who declined to be named speaking on condition of anonymity.
The 30 participants in the coalition, which also includes non-European nations like Canada, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, have been asked to respond in writing by the end of next week to questions about what they're willing to contribute, Lecornu said.
Fifteen of them have already offered forces including aircraft, naval vessels and other military equipment, though the countries that have made a firm commitment to send troops remain in the single digits, the people said.
"For the U.S. to actually participate in this, they need to see that we are doing a lot,' Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told reporters at NATO headquarters Friday. "One of the most important roles for the U.S. is monitoring the ceasefire.'
Trump has resisted offering security guarantees to Kyiv since the plan for a Europe-led reassurance force was first floated two months ago. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told allies Friday that while he welcomed Europe's increased support for Ukraine, the Trump administration's position remains the same, the people said.
Still, some officials believe the U.S. approach to Moscow is hardening following the lack of progress toward a ceasefire. Trump has displayed growing frustration with Vladimir Putin, writing in a post to his social media platform that "Russia has to get moving' and bemoaning the death toll. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Friday.
Russia will try to reach some kind of agreement with the U.S. in time for the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said Friday. That made it more urgent for allies to ramp up military aid to Ukraine and plan for the reassurance force, he added. Pevkur provided no evidence to support his claims.
Healey told allies in Brussels on Thursday that 200 military planners have been drawing up a "well-developed' plan for how the force would work, including proposals for how the Ukrainian military could "become their own strongest possible deterrent.'
Defense chiefs and ministers in the U.K. and France will examine the written responses later this month, in order to advance the plan further before it is presented to Trump, the people said.
The countries still remain split on what form the force should take and under what structure it will operate. Lecornu said Turkey was looking into possible involvement in the maritime component of the potential deployment. The plans being discussed are meant to supplement the Ukrainian army, which would remain on the front lines, the French minister said.
The coalition wouldn't be a peacekeeping force as some other European leaders suggested, according to Healey.
"The most effective deterrence against renewed Putin aggression, the best way of cementing a ceasefire, is the strength of the Ukrainian forces themselves,' he said.
Meeting separately in Warsaw on Friday, European Union finance ministers embraced the drive to ramp up defense spending after years of neglect as concerns grow that any large deployment to Ukraine could strain their defensive capabilities elsewhere.
Discussions include a new pan-European instrument as cash-strapped member states look for ideas after years of underinvestment.