US, European Military Chiefs Finalise Ukraine Military Plans: Here’s What We Know So Far

The United States and several European military chiefs have finalised military options for Ukraine. US military stated that the plans are now set to be presented to national security advisers.

This comes after US President Donald Trump said earlier to provide security guarantees for Ukraine under any agreement to end the ongoing war.

US, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ukraine’s defence chiefs held a meeting in Washington from Tuesday to Thursday. The US military said the proposals “will be presented to each nation’s respective national security advisers for appropriate consideration in ongoing diplomatic efforts.”

According to a Reuters report, the officials have cautioned that any plan would take time to finalise. They also said that it will need to be both militarily realistic and acceptable to Russia.

What was discussed?

One option that was discussed is deploying European troops to Ukraine under US command and control. Meanwhile, another possibility could involve US air support, ranging from supplying more air defence systems to enforcing a no-fly zone with American fighter jets, as per the report. 

Notably, Trump had earlier ruled out deploying American ground forces. But, he has now left open the possibility of limited military involvement in Ukraine. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are reportedly in support for sending troops as part of a post-war “coalition of the willing.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also open to this option.

Russia has strongly rejected any proposal involving NATO troops under a peace deal. Moscow has said that that the war is a “special military operation” to counter NATO expansion. Kyiv and its allies dismiss this.

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