EU mulling ‘neutral’ countries for potential Ukraine ceasefire role – Politico

Russia has consistently said it would be opposed to the presence of NATO troops in the neighboring country under any pretext

EU nations are willing to explore the possibility of a neutral third country helping to enforce a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Politico reported on Thursday, citing sources.

The bloc’s defense and foreign ministers are set to gather in Copenhagen this week, with the talks centering on what Politico described as a two-pronged effort to “turn the screws on Moscow,” combining sanctions with increased assistance for Kiev.

However, unnamed EU officials told the outlet that the discussions are also expected to focus on post-conflict “security guarantees” for Ukraine, including debate over “which neutral third country could provide peacekeeping troops to patrol a future demilitarized zone” between Russia and Ukraine. The outlet did not specify which countries could take on the role.

Several Western countries have called for a potential troop deployment to Ukraine in case of a ceasefire as part of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” with the UK and France widely seen as the potential principal contributors. Much of the debate has focused on whether the US would provide support, with President Donald Trump insisting that Washington would not deploy ground troops but indicating that it could consider other forms of assistance.

Read more

EU public skeptical of sending troops to Ukraine – WSJ

Russia has strongly objected to any NATO troop presence in Ukraine, stressing that one of the key reasons for the conflict was the bloc’s expansion of military infrastructure toward its borders.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, however, did not rule out robust security guarantees for Ukraine from members of the UN Security Council, including Western countries, as well as China, which has positioned itself as a neutral party since the onset of the crisis.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has rejected potential guarantees from Beijing, accusing it of a failure to prevent or stop the hostilities. At the same time, he noted that Türkiye could play a role as a potential guarantor, particularly regarding maritime security in the Black Sea.

Officials in Ankara did not exclude the possibility, but said any decision should take into account the interests of all parties involved.