European Commission President outlines troop plans for Ukraine

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that Europe is working on "fairly precise plans" for a potential deployment of troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees. These forces would be fully supported by U.S. capabilities.

This was reported by the Financial Times.

What von der Leyen said about security guarantees for Ukraine

"Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial," von der Leyen said. "We have a clear road map and we had an agreement in the White House . . . and this work is going forward very well."

She added that capitals are currently working on plans for the "a multinational troop [deployment] and the backstop of the Americans".

"President Trump reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop," she said. "That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed," she said.

According to von der Leyen, last week the defence chiefs from the so-called coalition of the willing met and "worked out pretty precise plans," including discussions on "the necessary items for a functioning build-up of troops."

    "Of course, it always needs the political decision of the respective country, because deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation," she added. "[But] the sense of urgency is very high . . . it’s moving forward. It’s really taking shape," the official said.

Von der Leyen also said that the European Commission will explore new sources of funding to ensure sustainable financing for 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," von der Leyen said.

She added that Brussels’ existing funding streams to Ukraine would need to continue during peacetime, which means that "an extra payment . . . has to be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces," von der Leyen said.

In addition, the EU will also maintain funding for the training of Ukrainian soldiers even after any peace deal.

The European Commission chief also urged EU countries to use the €150 billion European Defence Fund to strike joint-production deals with Ukrainian defence companies or to purchase weapons that could be supplied to Kyiv.

"The character of warfare has completely changed," she added, citing the need for EU militaries to invest in drones, air and missile defence, space and cyber capabilities.

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