BRUSSELS: Increasingly alarmed that US security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia.
Britain and France are at the forefront of the effort, though details remain scarce. The countries involved in the discussions are reluctant to tip their hand and give Russian President Vladimir Putin an edge should he agree to negotiate an end to the war he launched three years ago.
What is clear is that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky needs a guarantee that his country’s security will be assured until peace takes hold. The best protection would be the NATO membership that Ukraine has long been promised, but the US has taken that option off the table.
“I won’t get into the particular capabilities, but I do accept that if there is peace then there needs to be some sort of security guarantee for Ukraine and the UK will play its part in that,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in cautious remarks on Thursday.
The Europeans began exploring what kind of force might be needed about a year ago, but the sense of urgency has grown amid concern that US President Donald Trump might go over their heads, and possibly even Ukraine’s, to clinch a deal with Putin.
Many questions remain unanswered but one stands out: what role, if any, might the United States play?
European powers consider the road ahead
In December, after Trump was elected but before he took office, a group of leaders and ministers huddled with Zelensky at NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s residence in Brussels. They came from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Top European Union officials attended too.
The talks built on an idea promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron in early 2024. At the time his refusal to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine prompted an outcry, notably from the leaders of Germany and Poland.
Macron appeared isolated on the European stage, but his plan has gained traction since.
Still, much about what the force might look like and who will take part will depend on the terms of any peace settlement, and more.
Italy has constitutional limits on the use of its forces. The Netherlands would need a greenlight from its parliament, as would Germany, whose position could evolve after the Feb. 23 elections usher in a new government. Poland is cautious, given lingering animosities with Ukraine that date from World War II.
A robust security force rather than peacekeepers
The makeup and role of the force will be dictated by the kind of peace deal that’s reached. If Russia and Ukraine can agree terms as the negotiations progress, it’s plausible that fewer security precautions and a smaller force would be needed.
But experts and officials warn that, as things stand, the Europeans must deploy a robust and sizeable contingent, rather than a team of peacekeepers like United Nations “blue helmets.”
“It has to be a real force (so) that the Russians know that if they ever tested it that they would get crushed. And you can be sure that Russia will test it,” Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe, said last month at a European Policy Center think tank event.
“They violate every single agreement. So if we send a force in there, they’ve got to have airpower, large land forces, drones, counter-drones, air and missile defense. All of that,” he said. “If they go in there with a bunch of blue helmets and rifles, they will get crushed.”
Retired French General Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France’s military mission at the United Nations, agreed that UN peacekeepers are better suited “for deployment in zones that are far more stable.”
“For starters, mounting this operation with soldiers taken from across the world would take about a year,” he said.
How big a force?
The nature of the peace deal will determine the size and location of the European contingent. Zelensky has insisted on at least 100,000 to 150,000 troops. Media reports have speculated about a 30,000-40,000 strong force. Diplomats and officials have not confirmed either figure.
Ukraine also wants air support, not just boots on the ground.
What is clear is that the Europeans would struggle to muster a large-scale force, and certainly could not do it quickly.
In an interview on Friday with the Financial Times, Macron said that the idea of deploying a huge force is “far-fetched.”
“We have to do things that are appropriate, realistic, well thought, measured and negotiated,” he said.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted this week on “robust international oversight of the line of contact,” a reference to the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) long front line. The Europeans are reluctant as that would require too many troops.
Nearly all agree that some kind of “American backstop” is essential. European armed forces have long relied on superior US logistics, air transport and other military capabilities.
The US lays down some rules
At NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegseth began describing the terms under which the US might agree to a force that would help provide Ukraine with the “robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.”
“Any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth told almost 50 of Ukraine’s Western backers. If they go to Ukraine, he said, “they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission.”
Putin has said that he launched the invasion in part due to NATO territory expanding too close to Russia’s borders and is unlikely to accept any operation run by the world’s biggest military organization.
Any European allies taking part would not benefit from NATO’s collective security guarantee if they were attacked, Hegseth said. He underlined that “there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.”
He did not reveal what role the US might play.
From Ukraine’s perspective, a Europe-only operation simply would not work. “Any security guarantees are impossible without the Americans,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha warned on Thursday.
Europe quietly works on a plan to send troops to Ukraine for post-war security
https://arab.news/jcnp3
Europe quietly works on a plan to send troops to Ukraine for post-war security
- Britain and France are at the forefront of the effort, though details remain scarce
- “I won’t get into the particular capabilities, but I do accept that if there is peace then there needs to be some sort of security guarantee for Ukraine,” Starmer said
US official says Trump not signing G7 statement on Israel-Iran de-escalation
- Canadian and European diplomats said G7 attendees are continuing discussions on the conflict at the summit in Canada, which ends on Tuesday
CALGARY, Alberta: A US official said on Monday that President Donald Trump would not sign a draft statement from Group of Seven leaders calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict.
The draft statement, seen by Reuters, also commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets, says Iran must never have a nuclear weapon, and that Israel has the right to defend itself.
Canadian and European diplomats said G7 attendees are continuing discussions on the conflict at the summit in Canada, which ends on Tuesday.
Anti-domestic violence groups are suing over the Trump administration’s grant requirements
- The groups say the requirements, which Trump ushered in with executive orders, put them in “an impossible position”
Seventeen statewide anti-domestic and sexual violence coalitions are suing President Donald Trump’s administration over requirements in grant applications that they don’t promote “gender ideology” or run diversity, equity and inclusion programs or prioritize people in the country illegally.
The groups say the requirements, which Trump ushered in with executive orders, put them in “an impossible position.”
If they don’t apply for federal money allocated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape crisis centers, battered women’s shelters and other programs to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. But if the groups do apply, they said in the lawsuit, they would have to make statements they called “antithetical to their core values” — and take on legal risk.
In the lawsuit filed in US District Court in Rhode Island on Monday, the coalitions said that agreeing to the terms of grants could open them to federal investigations and enforcement actions as well as lawsuits from private parties.
The groups suing include some from Democratic-controlled states, such as the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and in GOP-dominated ones, including the Idaho Coalition against Sexual and Domestic Violence.
The groups say the requirements are at odds with federal laws that require them not to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, to aid underserved racial and ethnic groups, and to emphasize immigrants with some programs and not to discriminate based on legal status.
The US Department of Justice, which is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment.
The suit is one of more than 200 filed since January to challenge President Donald Trump’s executive orders. There were similar claims in a suit over anti-DEI requirements in grants for groups that serve LGBTQ+ communities. A judge last week blocked the administration from enforcing those orders in context of those programs, for now.
Nigerian state signs peace pact with criminal gangs: official
- Dozen bandit kingpins met with local officials to renounce violence. With no ideological leaning, the bandits are motivated by financial gains
- As a mark of goodwill, the bandits surrendered weapons and released 17 hostages, with the promise to free more people they were holding
KANO, Nigeria: Authorities in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state struck a peace deal at the weekend with criminal gangs to try to end years of violence, a government official said Monday.
Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria terrorized by criminal gangs that the locals refer to as bandits.
The gangs raid villages, kill and abduct residents as well as torch homes after looting them.
The gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna states in the northwest region and Niger state in the country’s central zone and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years.
On Saturday, a dozen bandit kingpins met with local officials and community leaders in the town of Danmusa, where they renounced violence and pledged to turn a new leaf, Nasiru Mu’azu, Katsina state internal commissioner said.
“There was a peace meeting between 12 bandit leaders and the local community leaders in Danmusa where the bandits renounced their criminal activities and committed to peace,” Mu’azu said.
The bandits initiated the meeting, he said. “The community welcomed the overtures and agreed to a peace deal as long as the bandits are genuinely interested in peace,” he said.
As a mark of goodwill, the bandits surrendered weapons and released 17 hostages, with the promise to free more people they were holding.
Authorities in Katsina had earlier ruled out peace deals after the criminal gangs reneged on peace negotiations and returned to crime.
With no ideological leaning, the bandits are motivated by financial gains but their increasing alliance with jihadists from the northeast has been raising concern among authorities and security analysts.
In 2023, Katsina state governor Dikko Umar Radda established Katsina Community Watch Corps, comprising around 2,000 vigilantes to assist the military and police in fighting the bandits.
“We have been fighting the bandits for the past two years and the state governor has reiterated he will not negotiate from a position of weakness,” Mu’azu said.
“But since they on their own came forward and extended the olive branch, we have to give them that opportunity.”
In November last year, neighboring Kaduna state, which has rejected negotiation with bandits, signed a peace accord with the criminal gangs terrorizing Birnin-Gwari district.
Hunger crisis deepens in global hotspots as famine risk rises, UN warns
- Conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related hazards blamed for harsh conditions in the worst-hit areas
ROME: Extreme hunger is intensifying in 13 global hot spots, with Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali at immediate risk of famine without urgent humanitarian intervention, a joint UN report warned on Monday.
The “Hunger Hotspots” report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme blamed conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related hazards for conditions in the worst-hit areas.
The report predicts food crises in the next five months.
It called for investment and help to ensure aid delivery, which it said was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps.
“This report is a red alert. We know where hunger is rising and we know who is at risk,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
“Without funding and access, we cannot save lives.”
For famine to be declared, at least 20 percent of the population in an area must be suffering extreme food shortages, with 30 percent of children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
In Sudan, where famine was confirmed in 2024, the crisis is expected to persist due to conflict and displacement, with almost 25 million people at risk.
South Sudan, hit by flooding and political instability, could see up to 7.7 million people in crisis, with 63,000 in famine-like conditions, the report said.
In Gaza, Israel’s continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.1 million people facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, the report said.
In Haiti, escalating gang violence has displaced thousands, with 8,400 already facing catastrophic hunger, while in Mali, conflict and high grain prices put 2,600 people at risk of starvation by the end of August.
Other countries of high concern include Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Nigeria.
“Protecting people’s farms and animals to ensure they can keep producing food where they are, even in the toughest and harshest conditions, is not just urgent — it is essential,” said FAO Director General QU Dongyu.
Some countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon, have improved and have been removed from the FAO and WFP’s Hunger Hotspots list.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday it was drastically scaling back its global humanitarian aid plans because of the “deepest funding cuts ever” — leaving tens of millions of people facing dire straits.
OCHA said it was seeking $29 billion in funding for 2025 compared to the $44 billion requested initially in December, in a “hyper-prioritized” appeal.
“Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
“All we ask is 1 percent of what you chose to spend last year on war. But this isn’t just an appeal for money it’s a call for global responsibility, human solidarity, and a commitment to end the suffering.”
In late April, while visiting a hospital in Kandahar in Afghanistan, Fletcher warned: “Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about ... The impact of aid cuts is that millions die.”
With 2025 nearly halfway through, the UN has received only $5.6 billion out of the $44 billion sought initially for this year — a mere 13 percent.
In total, the original plan covered more than 70 countries and aimed to assist nearly 190 million vulnerable people.
Even so, that plan acknowledged there were 115 million people the UN could not reach.
“We have been forced into a triage of human survival,” Fletcher said on Monday.
The mathematics “is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking.”
“Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given,” he said.
Aid will now be directed so that it can “reach the people and places facing the most urgent needs,” with those in “extreme or catastrophic conditions” as the starting point, said Fletcher.
“This will ensure that limited resources are directed where they can do the most good — as quickly as possible,” the statement said.
Norway’s king makes symbolic visit to Svalbard, in coveted Arctic
- the region around Svalbard has gained in geopolitical and economic importance as tensions mount between Russia and the West, not least with the ice sheet receding
- Interest in the Arctic has intensified since US President Donald Trump’s threats this year to annex Greenland, which he says the US needs for reasons of national security
OSLO: Norway’s King Harald made a highly symbolic visit on Monday to the country’s Svalbard archipelago, located in an Arctic region coveted by superpowers like the United States, Russia and China.
Situated halfway between the European continent and the North Pole, the region around Svalbard has gained in geopolitical and economic importance as tensions mount between Russia and the West, not least with the ice sheet receding.
Interest in the Arctic has intensified since US President Donald Trump’s threats this year to annex Greenland, which he says the US needs for reasons of national security.
“It was especially appropriate to come this year,” the 88-year-old monarch said after stepping off the royal yacht with his wife Sonja in Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s main town which is home to 2,500 people.
“We have seen increased attention being paid to the Arctic and Svalbard. This brings both challenges and opportunities,” he added.
The king was in Svalbard to take part in celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the entry into force of an international treaty that put the Svalbard archipelago under Norwegian rule.
Drawn up in Paris in 1920, the treaty gives the citizens of the nearly 50 signatories — including China and Russia — an equal right to exploit the archipelago’s natural resources.
As a result, Russia is able to maintain two settlements, including a mining community, in the small village of Barentsburg where a Lenin statue stands and Soviet flags are regularly flown — all in a NATO country.
China has meanwhile defined itself as a “near-Arctic state” and has displayed a growing interest in the region.
“When the royal yacht ‘Norge’ drops anchor with the royal standard atop the mast, this emphasizes, even more than King Harald’s words could say, that Norway is taking care of its rights and assuming its responsibilities,” said Lars Nehru Sand, a commentator at public radio NRK.
“The king is here to show that this is ours,” he said.
