France and Great Britain are already discussing possible scenarios
Every day, Russian troops shell Ukrainian territories, causing considerable damage and losses among people and infrastructure. Considering that the enemy does not adhere to any agreements and continues to mercilessly destroy Ukrainian cities and population, it should be noted, and also tests ballistic missiles, Western countries are considering the possibility of sending their troops to support Ukraine.
ТСН.ua has collected information about which countries can send reinforcements for the Ukrainian military.
NATO countries are not ready yet
In the spring of this year, information was spread in the media that NATO, for the first time, confidentially and without official announcements, had defined at least two “red lines” after the crossing of which direct intervention of Alliance troops in Russia's war against Ukraine could occur.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania could introduce their troops into Ukraine if Russia achieves serious successes on the front. According to Spiegel and the publication, Baltic politicians fear that due to insufficient support from the West, in particular Germany, the Russian army may achieve a serious breakthrough.
In particular, the Baltic countriesand Polanddo not expect Russian troops to be deployed on their borders; they would rather send troops to Ukraine themselves. In such a scenario, the NATO bloc turns into a war bloc.
Estonian President Alar Karisstated that at present Ukraine itself “does not yet see the need” to send Western troops to Ukraine. According to the head of state, sending troops to Ukraine is possible after preliminary approval by parliament.
In particular, Hungary and Germany rejected the idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine.
Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called on American politicians to better explain to ordinary Americans why they should be concerned about Russia's war in Ukraine. At that time, the former official noted that the possibility of introducing NATO troops into Ukraine cannot be ruled out, but it is also not worth openly stating this.
President of France Emmanuel Macronbecame the first European leader who, back in February 2024, openly began to talk about the possibility of introducing Alliance troops into Ukraine. At that time, the head of state said that France was considering introducing troops if the Russians broke through the front line and Ukraine asked for help.
Ukraine's representative to NATO, Ambassador Natalia Galibarenko, said that after French President Emmanuel Macron's statement about the potential readiness to send troops to Ukraine under certain conditions, the NATO Secretary General stated that there is no corresponding consensus in the Alliance – they are not ready for this. He also mentioned that the Ukrainian side had not asked to deploy NATO troops on its territory.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky then noted that as a country at war, “we will positively perceive any help”, but so far “no one has offered anything”.
In particular, the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak said that the introduction of NATO troops into Ukraine is possible if a partnership agreement is signed and there is political will in the partner countries.
Great Britain may send its troops for training in Ukraine
Sources of The Times reported that the British military command is considering the possibility of sending troops to western Ukraine to train soldiers. This would solve some of the logistical problems associated with sending Ukrainian troops to British bases for training, and would save money.
“We could conduct training faster, and it would be very far from the front line, in protected places, so the risk would be much lower,” the source said.
In particular, the publication noted that such a decision would be a “powerful military-political signal” for Russia. According to him, such exercises would also be useful for the British military themselves, who would learn combat skills from Ukrainian troops and be able to test the latest weapons.
This would solve some of the logistical problems associated with sending Ukrainian troops to British bases for training, and would save money, two sources familiar with the negotiations told the publication.
In addition, it is reported that as part of the UK-led multinational military operation codenamed “Interflex”, tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in the UK since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. However, UK Defence Secretary John Healey admitted that the “biggest obstacle” to the process was “Ukraine's provision of personnel for training”.
British soldiers would also learn combat skills from Ukrainian troops and would be able to test the latest weapons being developed for the war, the anonymous expert added to The Times.
Conditions under which Europe would send troops to Ukraine
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhno said that European leaders should be prepared to send military forces to Ukraine to support a peace deal that could be negotiated by newly elected US President Donald Trump.
According to the politician, the best security option for Ukraine is NATO membership. If the US opposes Kyiv's participation in NATO, then Europe will have to take steps to prevent further aggression from Russia by deploying its troops after the fighting ends.
“Real security guarantees mean a fair peace, and then we are talking about NATO membership. But without the US, this will be impossible, and we are talking about any form of external presence,” Tsakhno said.
It should be noted that newly elected US President Trump promised a quick end to the war in Ukraine. The American politician's statements raised concerns about possible unfair agreements, backed by the threat of reducing US military support. Several of his allies called on Europe to more actively support Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Tsakhna noted that Trump's victory had intensified discussions among allies about supporting Ukraine, given its recent losses on the front, and had also encouraged Moscow to negotiate. According to him, it would be difficult for Europeans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees without U.S. support, given possible conflicts with Russian troops.
Some analysts believe that Europe could organize support for Ukraine through a coalition of states, starting with Poland and the United Kingdom. These countries are the leading providers of military aid to Ukraine.
Tsakhna noted the importance of France and Germany's participation in these efforts, as Germany is the second-largest donor of military aid after the United States. He believes that Trump will not leave NATO, as this is not in the interests of the United States. However, Europeans must show their willingness to invest in defense, in particular by increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
France and Britain discuss scenario of sending Western troops to Ukraine
The countries are considering the possibility of direct military involvement, but the details are still unknown. According to Le Monde, discussions on defense cooperation are currently ongoing between Great Britain and France. The main goal of the discussions is to create a core group of allies in Europe that will focus on supporting Ukraine and ensuring broader European security.
According to the publication's sources, the scenario of sending Western troops to Ukraine “has strengthened in recent weeks”, in particular after the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to France on November 11.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with the BBC that France does not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. He stressed that the allies should not have “red lines” on aid to Ukraine, indicating their readiness to consider various forms of support.
In contrast, the French Ambassador Gaël Vessier stated that sending troops to Ukraine is possible under two conditions: an official request from President Zelensky and the beginning of the destruction of Ukrainian defenses, as a result of the advance of occupation forces into Kiev and other key points.
The diplomat also stressed that this does not mean that Paris is ready to send its troops now. However, if necessary, the French are ready to discuss this issue.
“Again, the ball is in the court of the Ukrainian authorities. It is up to them to decide what their requests are,” Ves'er noted.
Recall that earlier TSN.ua reported that in the summer the British trained Ukrainian fighters to liberate cities and villages captured by the enemy.
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