NATO can play a key role in assisting the proposed European military mission to guarantee a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 3, citing unnamed officials.
The proposal for an international peacekeeping force has gained traction recently as European nations prepare to take a more prominent role in Ukraine's defense amid the unpredictability of further American support.
NATO's command and control structures could be used to deploy a so-called "reassurance force" to Ukraine under one proposal being discussed in French-led talks with the U.K., five officials briefed on the plans and told the FT.
Under the proposal, the forces would also use the alliance's joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. According to officials, this proposal is one of many options under discussion and may be subject to change before a final agreement.
Proponents of the initiative also see NATO's involvement in indirectly engaging the U.S. and gaining Washington's support.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump refused to participate in any European-led mission directly, but U.S. military capabilities in Europe are integral to all NATO operations.
"If we are going to deploy assets from dozens of countries (to Ukraine), then NATO is really the only (command and control) option that we can use," said one of the officials.
On March 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed plans to meet in Ukraine this week with military representatives from the "coalition of the willing." Thus far, the coalition has met in other European countries or virtually.
The coalition is a group of countries that have pledged peacekeeping troops and other security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential ceasefire.
The "coalition of the willing" has met repeatedly to determine security guarantees and a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Leaders of 31 nations met in Paris on March 27 at a summit for the coalition.
Several countries, including France and the U.K., which lead the coalition, have pledged to send troops to enforce a potential ceasefire.
The U.S. has been holding separate meetings for ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia, most recently meeting Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on March 25.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
