Ten European countries are preparing to send troops to Ukraine in a future peace scenario.

LondonAs many as ten European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and possibly Finland, have expressed their willingness to send troops to Ukraine as part of a security guarantee plan contingent on the signing of a peace agreement with Russia. According to Bloomberg on Wednesday, the proposal includes the initial deployment of a multinational "stabilization" force that would operate far from the front lines to provide logistical support, training, and reinforcement to Ukrainian troops. A second phase envisions a more active US role, with cooperation in intelligence, border surveillance, arms supply and possibly air defense. The agency does not specify which other countries, in addition to those mentioned, could commit to sending troops.

Donald Trump, who has already ruled out the presence of US troops on the ground, has hinted that Washington could offer air cover and help "guard the Ukrainian skies." The US president emphasized this Tuesday, in an interview on Fox News, that the United States has "unique capabilities" that can be put to the service of a lasting peace. European diplomatic sources cited by The Guardian They point out that US support, even indirect, would be key to deterring further Russian aggression.

Discussions on security guarantees come at a delicate time. This Wednesday, NATO military chiefs are meeting virtually to examine how to articulate these security guarantees, considered essential to any agreement to end the war. London has already made it known that it could deploy forces to protect airports, ports, and logistics corridors, although it refuses to send soldiers into direct combat zones. The head of the British Army, Tony Radakin, traveled to Washington this Wednesday to brief Pentagon officials. Other countries, such as Germany and Spain, prefer to remain cautious, although they agree to reinforce their presence in Ukraine if there is an effective cessation of hostilities.

In this regard, also on Wednesday, Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured during a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart that Russia will only accept security guarantees for Ukraine if it has the ability to veto them. Any attempt to strengthen Ukrainian security that does not involve Moscow will be a "road to nowhere" and "will not work," he said. Lavrov suggested that a "very good example" of a possible plan could be found in the 2022 Istanbul framework. According to a draft discussed at the time, Ukraine would have received guarantees from a group of countries, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, Russia, the United States, and Great Britain. But Kyiv does not want to hear about Moscow also ensuring its security.

Punishment for Odessa and Sumi

Meanwhile, Moscow warned that the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine would be "unacceptable" and reiterated its territorial demands. In the recent Alaska summit with Trump, according to some diplomatic sources cited by the American press, Vladimir Putin offered to withdraw from the Sumi and Kharkiv regions in exchange for full control of Donbas, which it currently only partially occupies. A proposal that Kyiv considers unacceptable.

The fragility of the negotiations is evident with the new Russian airstrikes in recent hours. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Russia launched a "massive drone attack" on the Odessa region, which caused a large fire at an energy facility and injured at least one person. The city's port has also suffered considerable damage. In the last 24 hours, at least three civilians were killed and 34 injured.

In the Sumi region, in the northeast of the country, an offensive with nearly 100 drones against the city of Okhtirka has left at least 12 injured, including two children, causing damage to homes and apartment buildings. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko confirmed that among the injured is a family with three children aged five months, four, and six years. President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced these as "acts of pure terror" and called for new sanctions against Moscow if Putin refuses to sit down at a trilateral summit with him and Trump.

The Ukrainian military reported the launch of 93 drones and two missiles last night, of which 62 drones and one missile were intercepted. However, impacts were recorded at around twenty locations, including the aforementioned energy facility in Odessa. President Zelensky also reported a glide bomb attack in Kostantinivka, in the Donetsk region, which left several buildings collapsed and people trapped under the rubble.

In parallel, the European Union and the United Kingdom are preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia which would be activated if the Kremlin refuses to participate in peace talks. A senior European official has declared that "every delay or procrastination by Putin will be a reason to increase economic pressure."

All of this confirms the climate of maximum tension in which the NATO meeting is taking place. The future of security in Ukraine is being debated at a time when missiles and drones continue to devastate basic and civilian infrastructure, while Western capitals search for a formula that combines military deterrence, political commitment, and diplomatic viability.