Europeans oppose sending troops to Ukraine - WSJ
The plan to send European troops to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached between Kyiv and Moscow faces an obstacle: public opinion in key EU countries does not support it.
This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, according to Censor.NET.
The idea of a "deterrent force" was previously proposed by the UK and France. The aim was to prevent new Russian attacks after the signing of a peace agreement. Donald Trump has stated his willingness to provide certain guarantees, but ruled out the possibility of sending US troops to Ukraine.
European leaders have been facing voter skepticism in recent weeks. According to polls, a significant portion of citizens in Germany, Italy, and other countries oppose the deployment of troops. They consider such steps risky.
56% of Germans are against their country's participation in such an operation. German Foreign Minister Wadephul said that the Bundeswehr is already involved in creating a brigade in Lithuania, so it may not have the resources for a new mission.
A public opinion poll in France shows that 67% of French people are willing to support the mission only if a final peace agreement is signed. In the case of a conventional ceasefire, 68% are against it. Earlier, President Macron said that the country's troops would not take part in combat operations, but would only focus on protecting strategic facilities.
The UK has stated that its troops will only participate if clear guarantees are provided by the US. Most citizens support peacekeeping missions, but want to avoid direct confrontation with Russia.
According to the publication, a number of countries, including Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands, are ready to send troops. Poland has rejected the idea because of the risks involved, as it borders Russia.
Initially, 30,000 troops were planned to be involved in the peacekeeping mission, but the scale has now been reduced. The UK and France are ready to provide between 6,000 and 10,000 troops, focusing on maritime and air support, as well as training Ukrainian military personnel.
