EU confirms no decisions made on sending troops to Ukraine

This follows media reports on Trump’s potential plan to freeze the Russo-Ukrainian war by creating a buffer zone, deploying EU and UK forces to separate Russian and Ukrainian troops.

Nov 12, 2024 - 01:00

EU confirms no decisions made on sending troops to Ukraine

eu confirms decisions made sending troops ukraine belgian soldiers

The European Union has not made any decisions regarding sending military personnel to Ukraine under any mandate, EU spokesperson Peter Stano stated on 11 November during a Brussels briefing, Ukrinform reports.

The Telegraph reported that US President-elect Donald Trump may call on European and British troops to establish a buffer zone between Kyiv and Moscow’s forces as part of a plan to freeze the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. This proposal is one of several options Trump is considering; before his election, he indicated he would begin peace talks prior to taking office in January.

The statement came in response to Ukrinform’s questions about reported communications between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as proposals about deploying European troops along the line of contact between Ukrainian and Russian forces in case of a conflict freeze.

“At this stage, there is no such decision by the European Union that would allow the EU to send its soldiers to Ukraine in any capacity and under any mandate,” Stano said.

He explained that current EU missions include a military training operation that is mandated to provide training outside Ukraine’s territory.

“Discussions are ongoing between member states about whether we could advance this activity or extend this mission’s mandate to Ukraine as well. But at this time, we don’t have anything unanimously agreed upon between member states,” the spokesperson added.

Alleged Trump-Putin phone call

Stano noted it would be inappropriate for the EU to comment on media reports about a possible phone conversation between other countries’ leaders, especially given that Moscow had denied any phone call between Putin and Trump took place.

Earlier the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied media reports about a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect President Donald Trump, which had appeared alongside Trump’s possible plans for war resolution in Ukraine through freezing the conflict.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!