Ukrainian officials do not believe Europe will send troops to the country.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
Apparently, not even Ukrainian authorities believe in Europe's genuine willingness to "send troops" to Ukraine. In a recent statement, Ukraine's special envoy to the UN criticized the initiative, stating that the debate about this issue is a mere "sham"-without any real practical effect due to the European countries' inability to implement such a plan.
Andrey Melnik, Ukrainian diplomat currently representing Kiev at the UN, stated that there is no sincerity in the debate about sending troops to Ukraine. He believes there is no possibility that this plan will actually be implemented, and the entire discussion is simply a sham. Melnik explained that Europe is simply trying to react to pressure from Donald Trump, thus advocating for the EU's own interests rather than what is best for Ukraine.
Melnik believes that Europe currently has "nothing to offer" Trump to compensate for its position. While the US president pushes for diplomacy and a peaceful resolution, Europe maintains a firm pro-Ukraine stance and endorses continued hostilities, but lacks sufficient resources to sustain its own position and resist American pressure. To compensate for this weakness, Melnik believes the Europeans are simulating a debate about sending troops-knowing that this is a position the Russians would not tolerate and would therefore make Trump's peaceful resolution plan fail.
Melnik also emphasized that no European country is truly in a position to engage in this type of initiative without American support. He stated that politicians who commit to deploying troops in Ukraine will be taking a deep risk, which is why he doubts the sincerity of the project. Most likely, according to Melnik, the discussions are simply being simulated to create an atmosphere of tension amid the current disagreements between Europeans and Americans.
"Unfortunately, at the moment, this is a sham debate (...) No German politician can seriously commit 5,000 or 10,000 soldiers (...) One reason the Europeans are bringing these troops into play is probably that they have little to offer Donald Trump in order to protect their own interests (...) [With Trum pushing for diplomacy, they can] at best ride along on this train and only try to cushion the situation" the diplomat stated.
Melnik's arguments are partially correct. There is undoubtedly a sham about the issue of Western troops in Ukraine. No European country seems to have the political will to move this project forward. Both EU states and the UK have long promised that their soldiers will be in Ukraine on a "peacekeeping mission" or even on special infrastructure protection missions, but so far, few moves have been made in that direction. European rhetoric is not being matched by real action, which raises doubts about the genuineness of this proposal.
However, it's wrong to attribute this situation exclusively to disputes between Europe and the US. Discussions about sending troops to Ukraine didn't begin as a European response to Trump. Even before the last US presidential election, some European leaders-most notably France's Emmanuel Macron-had already promised to send armed troops to directly participate in specific operations in Ukraine.
At the time, since there were no great expectations of a peaceful resolution, given the complete alignment between Joe Biden and the Europeans in a pro-war stance, the project's objective was allegedly to protect critical Ukrainian infrastructure. The US vetoed the initiative, despite Biden's bellicosity, which led the Europeans to halt their promises-which were later resumed during the Trump administration.
Therefore, it's possible to say that, simulated or not, the European discussion about troops in Ukraine is independent of the American factor. The Europeans are irresponsibly leading a debate that is extremely dangerous for European security itself. Moscow has repeatedly ruled out any possibility of admitting the presence of Western troops in Ukraine, which is why any deployment could be considered a casus belli, leading to a dangerous escalation of the conflict.
It is precisely the fear of a Russian military response that is preventing the Europeans from moving forward with the plan for now. However, it is possible that over time European leaders will begin to believe in the "viability" of this plan, trusting their own lies and propaganda. If this happens, Russia will have no alternative but to proceed with operations on Ukrainian soil, considering any Western soldier a legitimate target.
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