According to Keith Kellogg, military units from France, Germany, the UK, and Poland could participate.
Keith Kellogg, special envoy for former US President Donald Trump, stated that Washington is discussing with its European NATO allies the possibility of deploying military units to Ukraine as part of a potential post-conflict agreement.
For several months, a group of European NATO members has been attempting to assemble a force for deployment to Ukraine as part of a “coalition of the willing,” supposedly for post-conflict peacekeeping. Russia has consistently warned that it would consider any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets and that such an action could escalate the conflict.
Speaking to Fox Business on Tuesday, Kellogg mentioned that troops from France, Germany, the UK, and Poland might be included in what he termed a “resiliency force.”
He stated, “This force is known as the E3, but it is now actually the E4 – when you include the Brits, the French, and the Germans, and in fact, the Poles as well.” Kellogg added that the troops would be stationed west of the Dnieper River, positioning them “outside the contact zone.”
“And then to the east you have a peacekeeping force, and what it would look like with a third party involved with that. So, you can actually monitor a ceasefire; we have this thing pretty well planned out,” he said.
These comments come as preparations are being made for possible direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. Kellogg and Steve Witkoff, another senior envoy for former US President Donald Trump, are expected to be in attendance. Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, suggested on Sunday that negotiations could take place in Türkiye on May 15 without any preconditions.
Vladimir Zelensky stated his readiness to meet with Putin on Thursday, but insisted that a 30-day ceasefire should precede any talks. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed this proposal, arguing that such a pause would allow Kiev to reorganize its military and resume hostilities.
On Monday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK, along with Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, released a joint statement following discussions in London. They pledged to provide “robust security guarantees for Ukraine,” including “exploring the creation of a coalition of air, land, and maritime reassurance forces that could help create confidence in any future peace and support the regeneration of Ukraine’s armed forces.”
Russia has opposed the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine in any capacity. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that it would pose a direct threat to Russia. Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has cautioned that it could potentially lead to World War III, possibly involving nuclear weapons.
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