NATO Allies Reverse Course on Ukraine Troop Deployment Plans

European states are reportedly walking back their plans to put troops from NATO allies on the ground in Ukraine to secure the country against future Russian aggression if a peace deal is eventually made.

According to Reuters, European leaders are weighing the challenges of sending troops as proposed by the U.K. and France, including the improving U.S.-Russia relationship under the Trump administration and Ukraine's battlefield retreat.

"They are taking a step back from ground troops and trying to re-dimension what they were doing to something that could be more sensible," one unnamed European diplomat told Reuters.

Another said: "When Ukraine was in a better position, the idea of sending troops appealed. But now, with the situation on the ground and the U.S administration as it is, it's not very sexy."

Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Without European troops serving as peacekeepers—unless Ukraine obtains other security guarantees from the U.S. or European allies—Kyiv will be more vulnerable to continued Russian aggression, and its territorial integrity could be jeopardized in peace negotiations.

However, the deployment of peacekeeping troops from the U.K. and France could incite further Russian aggression.

What To Know

European leaders are veering away from previous plans to deploy troops to Ukraine just after Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a halt on attacks against energy infrastructure targets for 30 days.

France will host a "coalition of the willing" consisting of leaders and delegations from approximately 30 countries on Thursday, to discuss potential plans.

Paris and London have led previous discussions around this topic, as France hosted a security summit of more than 30 nations to discuss creating an international security force for Ukraine on March 11.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in late February that the U.K. would be "ready and willing" to deploy British troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal.

Brigadier Andy Watson, the commander of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF) Brigade, confirmed in late February that NATO's British-led rapid-response force is "absolutely ready" to be deployed to Ukraine.

France has also offered to contribute thousands of troops to any such effort.

"If there was again a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would, in fact, be under attack and then it's our usual framework of engagement," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

"Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it," he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in early February that the U.S. would not deploy troops to Ukraine.

Russia has been firmly against the idea of the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine and responded to Macron's previous statement that Kyiv does not need Moscow's approval to request peacekeeping troops.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that it would be "absolutely inappropriate and absurd."

"We absolutely do not care under what label NATO contingents can be deployed on the territory of Ukraine: be it the European Union, NATO, or in their national capacity," he said. "In any case, if they appear there, it means that they are deployed in a conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict."

Grushko did specify that Russia would be open to "the presence of unarmed observers and a civilian mission in Ukraine to monitor the implementation of certain aspects of the agreement or guarantee mechanisms."

What People Are Saying

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Shaun Pinner, a former British soldier and Ukrainian marine, wrote: "Britain announced its intention to deploy a peacekeeping contingent of over 10,000 people to Ukraine at a meeting of the "coalition of the willing," — The Times. My view has always been that NATO should have entered Ukraine as a deterrent force 12 months ago, the minute NORTH KOREA decided to enter the theater of war."

Elizaveta Igorevna, a Russian war correspondent, wrote on X: "Europe no longer plans to send its peacekeepers to Ukraine and is actively considering other security guarantees, Reuters reports The fairy tale ended before it even began 😂."

Leonid Ragozin, a journalist, wrote on X: "Telegraph reports that France and Britain are quietly walking away from their initiative to deploy NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine. Quelle surprise. I wrote some weeks ago that all the "tough rhetorics" and unfulfillable initiatives only serve the purpose of not taking responsibility for the final outcome of Ukraine war that will please nobody, except Putin. Evil Trump brought Ukraine here, not us."

What Happens Next

It is unclear what other security guarantees Europe will push for on Ukraine's behalf in place of deploying peacekeeping troops.