The countries of the “coalition of volunteers”, allies of kyiv, in meeting at NATO to try to define how to guarantee the security of Ukraine
The countries of the “coalition of volunteers”, allies of kyiv, met Thursday in Brussels to try to define how to guarantee the security of Ukraine. This is the first meeting of this coalition launched by London and Paris on the level of the Ministers of Defense.
The idea for this thirty countries is to define the contours of a “Reinsurance force” Intended to prevent any new attack from Russia after signing a ceasefire. “Our planning is real and substantial. Our plans are well developed and we have clear objectives for Ukraine ”said British Defense Minister John Healey, shortly before the start of this meeting on Thursday.
However, many questions remain unanswered. The peace talks led by the United States with Moscow and kyiv trampled, and in the absence of any ceasefire agreement it is difficult to clearly define the objectives and the mission of this European force, underlined several ministers. This is to determine “What is the potential mission, what is its objective, what is the mandate, what will we do according to the different scenarios?” »»summed up the Dutchman Ruben Brekelmans.
His British counterpart tried to define four objectives to this mission: “First, ensure the security of the sky. Second, ensure the safety of the seas. Third, support peace on earth. And fourth, help the Ukrainian armed forces to become their own most powerful deterrence ”he said at the opening of this meeting, held at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
But several countries question the credibility of a European force which would not have the support of the United States, a backstop (“Safety net”). US support is “Very important”said the Dutch minister. “We believe that the United States is still a crucial player for a sustainable security guarantee”added his Finnish counterpart, Antti Häkkänen.
The number of countries willing to send troops to Ukrainian soil, including with American support, remains limited for the moment. France, Great Britain, the Baltic and the Netherlands have expressed their availability, among the thirty countries of the coalition. But no one yet knows how many soldiers this force “Reinsurance” can understand and where exactly it will be deployed, in Ukraine or in the immediate vicinity of this country.
Source: Lemonde