EU struggles to agree on security guarantees for Ukraine – FT
Viewsnow21 December
Western leaders can’t find common ground over troop deployment and the meaning of long-term commitments, according to reports
EU leaders could not reach an agreement on what security guarantees they can offer Ukraine during a two-day summit in Brussels, as reported by the Financial Times on Friday. The primary goal of the gathering was to discuss European support for Ukraine following Donald Trump’s election as US president.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky left the summit without clarity on what the EU will do should Trump “abandon” Kiev, the report said. “For every leader who suggested something new, such as deploying troops to Ukraine as trainers, there were others who dismissed such talk,” the article stated.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly said that there is “no discussion” about deploying boots on the ground, calling it a mistake to engage in detailed discussions on the matter. He allegedly stated that support should be provided in a way that does not risk escalating tensions with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s earlier proposal to deploy European troops to Ukraine faced opposition. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently dismissed the idea as speculation, while a senior EU diplomat told the Financial Times that there is “no structured discussion in the EU on this yet.”
“Some leaders openly disagreed with each other. Some stuck to the well-trodden rhetoric of ‘whatever it takes’, without providing specific details of what they would be prepared to do,” the Financial Times reported.
The summit concluded with a statement pledging to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed.”
The EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, advised Western leaders against pressuring Zelensky into peace talks in an interview with the Financial Times prior to the summit.
“The big question is, what is the security guarantee?... What actually is it, that is tangible?” Kallas told the outlet. “All the member states who have signed security guarantee agreements with Ukraine need to answer: what are they?”
Zelensky reiterated on Thursday that NATO membership is the only ultimate security guarantee, insisting that promises from EU countries alone, without US involvement, would be insufficient. However, the US and Germany have expressed reluctance, while Hungary has openly opposed Kiev’s aspirations.
Some Russian officials have suggested that Western boots on the ground could be perceived in Moscow as an occupying force. The Kremlin reiterated on Monday that it is too early to discuss any peacekeeping missions, as even direct negotiations with Kiev remain impossible due to Zelensky’s obstruction.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his readiness for talks with Ukraine, emphasizing that any agreement must address key security concerns, including Kiev’s renunciation of NATO ambitions, recognition of new territorial realities, and commitment to a neutral status. At his annual Q&A session in Moscow, Putin stressed that these measures are vital for achieving lasting regional stability and ensuring mutual security and strategic interests for all parties involved.
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