Kiev's backers reneging on military personnel pledges
Back in March, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that London was prepared to deploy 'boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.' French President Emmanuel Macron made a similar statement.
The hypothetical contingent would be acting in a 'peacekeeping' capacity if and when Kiev and Moscow agree to a ceasefire. However, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Italy have all expressed a reluctance or refused to commit troops for the potential mission.
Russia has strongly opposed the stationing of NATO military personnel in the neighboring country under any pretext.
In an article on Saturday, the Sunday Times predicted that should the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump result in a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, Kiev would likely want to see 'international monitors on the ground.'
However, according to the British newspaper, 'it is unlikely that the answer here will be the 'coalition of the willing'.'The publication quoted an unnamed UK defense official as acknowledging that 'no one wants to send their troops to die in Ukraine.'
Back in May, the Financial Times, citing an anonymous source, reported that the coalition's plans for a deployment in Ukraine were 'dead' now that the US had refused to provide backing.
A little earlier, The Times similarly claimed that the plan was unrealistic due to personnel shortages faced by European militaries.
Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the European NATO member states of pursuing a 'militaristic [and] confrontational' course.
Back in April, Sergey Shoigu, secretary of Russia's National Security Council and former defense minister, warned that the arrival of NATO troops in Ukraine could lead to a third world war.
The Kremlin has repeatedly described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war being waged against Russia by the West, with Kiev being used as an expendable battering ram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
27 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Western media in frenzy over Putin-Trump summit
Western media have erupted in hysteria over US President Donald Trump's cordial welcome for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. Zakharova weighed in on the three-hour negotiations in Anchorage that brought Putin to US soil for the first time in more than a decade. The Russian leader was greeted at the airport with a red carpet and a flyover of US fighter jets. He and Trump then rode together in the US president's limousine to the summit venue. While the sides did not announce any deal on Ukraine, Putin described the talks as constructive, with Trump calling the meeting 'warm' and suggesting that Moscow and Washington 'are pretty close' to settling the Ukraine conflict. Zakharova noted that Western media had plunged into 'frenzy bordering on complete madness' over the honors given to the Russian leader. 'For three years they spoke of Russia's isolation, and today they saw a red carpet rolled out to meet the Russian president in the US,' she said. Sky News SEETHES at great power diplomacy to avoid nuclear Armageddon:'Trump leaves the summit with Vladimir Putin HUMILIATED.'Ah yes, because trying to avoid the prospect of nuclear war in the most serious and escalating proxy war Russia and the US have ever fought would be… Western media is attempting to frame the Alaska summit as a diplomatic win for Moscow. The Washington Post wrote that 'the warmth of the welcome sent shock through Ukraine and Europe' while pointing to a stark contrast with the reception of Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky at the White House in February, when Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of disrespect, ingratitude over US aid, and of 'gambling with World War III.' 😡 COPE & SEETHE In London: BBC Incandescent That Putin Treated With 'Respect' By Trump Something not given by London to anybody who doesn't to its unipolar line. Sky News correspondent Ivor Bennett, a former RT reporter, voiced surprise that Putin was first to speak at the media conference 'as if he was the host rather than Donald Trump.' Another Sky News reporter had suggested prior to the talks that Putin would 'use his KGB-trained powers of deception and seduction' on his US counterpart. Bloomberg reported that 'by inviting the Russian president onto American soil and giving him an audience, Trump had already delivered a diplomatic win' for a seemingly isolated leader. The agency also published a separate piece headlined 'US-Russia Summit Shows How Little Europe Matters in Trumpworld', referencing the fact that no EU leaders were invited to the summit. Politico ran the headline 'Putin's Alaska triumph,' while CNN said: 'Putin's isolation ended when his plane landed in Anchorage,' adding, the Russian president '[is] back in from the cold.'
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump praises ‘warm' meeting with Putin
US President Donald Trump has described his summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as a 'warm meeting,' and suggested that the Ukraine conflict is close to being resolved. In an interview with Fox News, the US leader praised the three-hour talks with Putin in Anchorage on Friday, noting that they had made progress in talks mainly focused on ending the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. 'Actually, I think we agree on a lot. I can tell you, the meeting was… warm,' Trump said, calling Putin a 'strong guy.' The US leader earlier suggested that he would 'give today a ten' when it came to the outcome of the summit. According to Trump, the sides are 'pretty close to the end' of the conflict, although he added that 'Ukraine has to agree' to any potential peace deal. He would not provide any details of the discussions, saying only that 'there's one or two pretty significant items, but I think they can be reached.' The US president also noted that he had 'always had a great relationship with President Putin, and we would have done great things together,' while praising Russia as a land brimming with natural resources. Putin similarly described the talks with Trump as 'constructive' and 'useful,' saying Moscow was 'sincerely interested in putting an end' to the hostilities. He also suggested that the two leaders could hold their next meeting in Moscow, with Trump replying that he could 'see it possibly happening.'
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky should ‘make a deal'
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky should 'make the deal' to settle Kiev's conflict with Moscow, US President Donald Trump has said following three-hour talks in Anchorage with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, their first summit since Helsinki in 2018. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump reflected on 'a very warm meeting,' adding that the sides are 'pretty close' to resolving the conflict. He stressed that Kiev should be on board with the push for peace, for it to have any chance of success. When asked what advice he would give Zelensky, Trump replied: 'Make the deal', adding that he believes that Putin 'wants to see it done.' 'It's really up to President Zelensky to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit,' the US president added. Trump said that he was ready to mediate direct talks between Putin and Zelensky. 'If they'd like, I'll be at that next meeting… Not that I want to be there, but I want to make sure it gets done. And we have a pretty good chance of getting it done.' Both leaders described the meeting as productive, although no agreement on Ukraine was announced. Putin earlier did not rule out direct talks with Zelensky, but stressed that it must be preceded by significant progress on settling the conflict. Moscow has also voiced concerns about Zelensky's right to sign any binding agreements, given that his presidential term expired last year, and that the Ukrainian leader has refused to call a new election, citing martial law. Ukrainian troops have been on the back foot for months, with Moscow making advances in Donbass and elsewhere. Moscow has insisted that any settlement should see Ukraine commit to bloc neutrality, demilitarization and denazification, as well as recognize the new territorial reality on the ground, including the status of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions, all of which have voted to become parts of Russia.
