The Baltic states and Poland were reported by The Times last month to be concerned that the proposed mission could divert much-needed resources from NATO’s border states with Russia, leaving them exposed.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong refused to rule out military involvement after high-level meetings with their counterparts in London in late December.
Allied nations have reportedly been sceptical as to whether Europe could generate a force large enough – without US support – to stop Russia from mounting a new attack after it has had time to rebuild its military.
Zelensky previously said it would have to be 200,000 strong, which in reality would mean having 600,000 troops either deployed to Ukraine, preparing to go or in recovery.
Diplomatic sources say a United Nations peacekeeping force made up of troops from countries such as India, Bangladesh and China could be more achievable and more likely to secure the agreement of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This could involve some 100,000 peacekeepers positioned inside both Ukraine and Russia and would not require any direct US involvement.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Trump administration are travelling to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russia. The discussions are expected to begin in Riyadh on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), according to Russian newspaper Kommersant.
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Trump’s push for a quick way out of Russia’s war on Ukraine has stirred concern and uncertainty from European leaders. After a recent phone call with Putin, Trump has on multiple occasions said he and the Russian president would meet soon to discuss a peace deal over Ukraine.
He has assured Zelensky he will have a seat at the table, but it is unclear if European officials will be invited. The Ukrainian president has previously said he would not accept any negotiations that did not include his country.
