Donald Trump says he wants Ukraine to remain strong and well-armed after a possible ceasefire, with troops from European countries being stationed on its territory. However, these troops will not be under the auspices of NATO, but will act to monitor compliance with the ceasefire, News.bg reports.
Days before Trump's official inauguration as the new-old president of the United States, speculation continues about his election plan to achieve peace in Ukraine. A number of media outlets have presented versions of part of the "Trump" plan, with the Wall Street Journal publishing information based on anonymous sources who claim to be familiar with the content of a conversation between Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron, held in Paris on December 7.
According to the sources, Trump has stated that he is against Ukraine joining NATO, but emphasizes that the country will remain well-armed and strong after the ceasefire. The United States will not send American soldiers, but it is possible that it will provide support for the deployed European troops.
Discussion on the deployment of a European contingent is growing. Initially, only Britain and France discussed this issue confidentially, but now Ukraine, the future Trump administration and several other European countries are taking part.
According to the Wall Street Journal, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will soon organize a meeting in Brussels with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the European Commission. It will discuss future guarantees for Ukraine's security, and President Zelensky is expected to attend.
It is unclear whether Moscow will accept these conditions. The Kremlin insists on limiting the size and combat capacity of the Ukrainian army and is categorically against the deployment of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine, with the exception of Russian ones.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland had not yet made a decision to send troops and had no specific plans for such a commitment. At the same time, a source in Kiev informed that Ukraine would welcome European troops as a guarantee of compliance with the ceasefire.