European leaders are working on what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls “quite precise plans” for troop deployments in Ukraine following a potential peace agreement.
However, how this would be financed and what powers the troops would have remains unclear.
In an interview with Financial Times, von der Leyen claims the plans have full American support and that President Trump has promised American presence as backup.
— Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial. We have a clear road map and we had an agreement in the White House and this work is going forward very well, states the European Commission President.
According to the EU leader, the troop deployment could involve tens of thousands of European soldiers, supported by American command and control systems. However, exactly how many countries would participate or what their mandate would be is not clear at present.
The plans are said to have been discussed at last month’s meeting in Washington between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. The same group is expected to meet again in Paris on September 4th, this time at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Sudden confidence in Trump
After European leaders spent months worrying about Trump’s statements about quickly ending the war and reducing American support to Ukraine, von der Leyen now presents him as a reliable partner.
— Putin has not changed, he is a predator. Trump wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table. He has a negative experience with Putin, more and more Putin does not do what he says, she claims.
Defense ministers from the so-called coalition are said to have met last week according to von der Leyen and “worked out pretty precise plans”. At the same time, she acknowledges that troop deployments are among the most sensitive decisions a nation can make.
— Deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation, but the sense of urgency is very high. It’s moving forward. It’s really taking shape, says von der Leyen.
Who will pay the bill?
The EU leader signals that EU taxpayers will have to bear a significant part of the financing of Ukraine’s defense even after a peace agreement. The European Commission will examine new funding sources for what she calls “sustainable financing of the Ukrainian armed forces as a security guarantee”.
— After any peace deal, Kyiv would need quite a sizeable number of soldiers and they need good salaries and of course, modern equipment it’s for sure the EU that will have to chip in, she continues.
In addition to existing support, according to von der Leyen “an extra payment” will be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces. Member countries are also urged to use a loan fund of €150 billion for continued weapons purchases for Ukraine.
Despite the ambitious plans, there are still no answers to fundamental questions about how long a potential deployment would last, under what legal framework it would take place, and what happens if not all EU countries want to participate.
