Discussion on sending troops to Ukraine gaining momentum - Dutch defense chief

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans says the discussion among European countries on deploying troops in Ukraine has begun, but it would be premature to dwell on it yet.

He said this in an interview with De Volkskrant, Ukrinform reports.

“We are forced to think about it now. But (the discussion – ed.) is still in its infancy. Everything I’d say about it now would be premature. But this discussion has now started in several capitals and may be gaining momentum,” he said.

According to him, “it will take some time before a position on the issue is determined, there are no concrete proposals yet.”

He also said that a hasty agreement on Ukraine could yield dangerous consequences.

“The risk of holding negotiations now is that Russia now has the upper hand. Russia will sell its bearskin dearly. They can sit back and wait. In this way, you can quickly put Ukraine in the position of the pleading party. No agreement can be concluded without the participation of the Ukrainians, they must be at the negotiating table. They are ready to negotiate, but with a good starting position, and to this end they need as much military capacity as possible. We must also be aware of what will happen if such a truce or ceasefire is concluded. Then Ukraine will need security guarantees because we know that Putin can start challenging this agreement the next day,” he said.

As Ukrinform reported, French President Emmanuel Macron is proposing that the European political community join the initiative to create a "European Army" in order to develop its own solutions for a joint response in war theaters.

Macron previously stated that preventing Russia from winning the war is a strategic security goal, and that under certain circumstances, he does not rule out sending European ground troops to Ukraine.