It is an open secret that western special forces are present in Ukraine as “sneakers on the ground”. So far, though, there is no mass deployment of western “boots on the ground”. That may be about to change.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House reignited interest in the idea, first floated a year ago by France’s Emmanuel Macron. At the time, it was ruled out as impracticable and too risky. But since then, Ukraine’s military has struggled. The prospect of Nato membership has dwindled. Trump, seeking to disengage the US from European security, has said he wants a ceasefire “as soon as possible”. And Kyiv has hinted at its readiness for a deal, as long as its allies provide strong security guarantees.
As a result, on-off talks have resumed about how western troops, specifically European forces, could help sustain the ceasefire that Trump hopes to broker with Moscow. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that if Europe is serious about providing an effective deterrent, 200,000 troops would be needed, at a “minimum”.