European commission denies troop deployment to Ukraine plan
The European Commission refuted on Monday the reports from the British newspaper "The Telegraph" about the alleged plan to send European soldiers to Ukraine as part of a U.S. plan to "freeze the war".
11 November 2024 17:02
The British newspaper "The Telegraph" reported recently that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump might call on "European and British troops" to establish a buffer zone of over 1,200 kilometres between Russian and Ukrainian forces. This plan aims to freeze the conflict in Ukraine.
According to these reports, the United States would not intend to involve its soldiers in patrolling the buffer zone or financing the mission. However, the U.S. would provide Ukraine with weapons to counter any further aggression from Russia.
European Commission spokesperson: No such decision
When asked about this information, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano firmly denied the existence of such plans. "When it comes to EU boots on the ground, there is no such decision by the European Union at this stage that the EU would be sending its soldiers, in whatever capacity and with whatever mandate, onto Ukrainian soil," Stano said.
The spokesperson also mentioned the existing EU training mission for Ukrainian soldiers, which takes place in EU member states. He added that discussions are ongoing among member states about whether states could move part of these activities to Ukraine, expanding the mission’s mandate, emphasising that unanimity has not yet been reached on this issue.
