When European allies met in Paris to solidify security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump's envoys were there, briefly offering hope that the EU's voice could be heard in Washington despite the bitter controversy over Greenland.
“We have largely completed the security protocols,” said Steve Witkoff, one of the two envoys, as he stood alongside the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine at the presidential palace in Paris. “This is important so that when this war is over, it is over for good,” Witkoff added.
Yet, even as France and the United Kingdom signed a commitment to deploy troops to Ukraine in a post-war scenario, the United States did not offer to come to the aid of those troops in the event that Russia threatened their security.
What might the deployment look like?
This week, France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent to deploy a “multinational force” to support Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction – after the war.
Experts say that the declaration, as a signed document, represents a stronger and more formal guarantee to Ukraine.
On Tuesday (January 6), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany could also play a military role and deploy "forces on NATO territory bordering Ukraine" after a ceasefire is reached.
For the first time, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his willingness to send troops as part of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. Sanchez did not provide details.
Jakob Funk Kirkegard, a fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Brugel, believes the force is deliberately called "multinational" to open up space for other countries from or outside Europe to join.
"Who could it be? I think maybe Australia, or certainly Turkey, which is a big player in the Black Sea," he told DW.
The meeting in Paris was held within the framework of the so-called coalition of the willing – which consists of about 30 countries committed to Ukraine. The United States is not among them.
In a statement, the group said it would help build "defensive fortifications" inside Ukraine.
Kirkegaard said it was unclear exactly what kind of fortifications these would be. Perhaps, he speculated, similar to those being built in NATO members near Russia. “Like in Finland,” he said, it could at least include “laying mines and barbed wire.”
The coalition leaders' statement also said they would participate in a proposed U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism. This would require equipment and people to monitor sensors, drone and satellite footage.
It added that the Ukrainians "will remain the first line of defense and deterrence," while experts told DW that the European troops would be present mainly as instructors, not in a combat role.
Many questions
Some in Europe are now pushing the envelope to establish a long-term security architecture for Ukraine. But there are still more questions than answers.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that France could deploy "several thousand" troops to Ukrainian territory.
But, Kierkegaard added, it could be difficult for him to get approval from the French parliament to fund troops abroad, especially amid the country's political and economic crisis.
Starmer's signing of the declaration has sparked outrage among opposition leaders and experts who argue that Britain does not have enough troops to send anywhere.
The UK's Strategic Defence Review - an official document from last year - notes that the size and readiness of the army have shrunk since the end of the Cold War.
The report says that "only a small fraction of troops" are ready to deploy at any given time. The decline in troop numbers coincides with reduced defense spending.
Speaking to parliament, Starmer said that the number of troops to be sent to Ukraine "will be determined in accordance with our military plans, which we are developing and in which we expect the support of other member states."
In Germany, Chancellor Merz's proposal to deploy troops to NATO countries bordering Ukraine will also first have to be approved by parliament.
Several other members of the coalition remain completely mysterious. It is possible, it is thought, that they will not present more concrete plans until peace is once established in Ukraine.
"Would all partners in the coalition of the willing react strongly if Russia attacks again? That's a difficult question. I'm asking them all, and I still haven't received a clear answer," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Wednesday (January 7).
Until security guarantees are approved in parliaments and the US Congress, "we cannot answer the question of whether partners are ready to protect us," he added.
Lack of American support is the biggest obstacle
The biggest obstacle to a European presence in post-war Ukraine comes from what was once its closest ally across the Atlantic.
Trump's envoys who attended the meeting in Paris did not develop European dilemmas about whether the US would come to the aid of their troops if Russia violated the peace terms.
Markus Reissner, an Austrian military historian and lecturer at the Theresian Military Academy in Vienna, told DW that the essential message of the Paris Declaration was to call on the US to support this European military venture.
"It is currently unthinkable for European forces to establish a large presence in Ukraine without the support of the United States and its specialized military capabilities, and without the guarantee that America will intervene militarily in the event of a Russian attack."
"This is especially true as long as Russia considers Western soldiers in Ukraine to be military targets," warns Reisner.
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