European countries are facing difficulties in forming a peacekeeping contingent for Ukraine, as their armed forces remain under-resourced and underfunded. According to The Times, citing sources, organizing 25,000 troops for a mission in Ukraine will be extremely challenging.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Tony Radakin, proposed the idea of creating a force of 64,000 personnel to support Ukraine; however, at several meetings, defense ministers from European countries stated that there is “no chance” of forming such a contingent. They emphasized that even for 25,000 troops, joint efforts and resource support are necessary.
Discussion of Possible Military Contingents
At the “coalition of the willing” meeting held on April 10, defense ministers expressed their doubts about the feasibility of creating a large military formation, and subsequently continued discussions in a closed setting in Brussels. According to information released in the publication, a contingent of 256,000 troops will be needed to support a rotational regime over two years.
The United Kingdom has announced its readiness to send up to 10,000 service members, while France can provide between five and ten thousand soldiers and officers. Estonia and Finland expressed concerns that any deployment could weaken their own border defense. Poland, Spain, and Italy reported that they do not plan to send their troops to Ukraine.
According to sources, Finland and Germany are predominantly against sending ground troops, although Berlin does not rule out such a possibility in the future. Additionally, European countries have concerns regarding potential actions in the event of a Russian attack and plan to send military instructors to western Ukraine, staying away from the front line.
Discussions about the possibility of deploying foreign troops in Ukraine have been ongoing since 2024. In January 2025, this topic was actively raised by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Moscow is categorically opposed to the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly called such actions unacceptable and, after negotiations with the United States on February 18, reiterated that Russia will not agree to the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.