EU should prepare to deploy troops to Ukraine, says member state
According to Estonia, deploying EU forces in Ukraine could ensure the security of Kiev. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
According to Estonia, the bloc would need to intervene if US President-elect Donald Trump facilitates a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has stated that EU member states should prepare to deploy military forces to Ukraine in the event that Trump brokers a peace settlement between Kiev and Moscow. In a Tuesday interview with the Financial Times, Tsahkna emphasized that NATO membership represents the best security assurance for Ukraine. If Trump were to oppose this, he asserted that the EU would need to step in and send troops once hostilities cease.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has indicated that joining the US-led military alliance—viewed by Russia as a threat—is the only feasible option left for ensuring Ukraine's national security, aside from acquiring nuclear capabilities. An immediate invitation to NATO formed part of the "victory plan" Zelensky unveiled to the public last month, aimed at resolving the conflict with Russia.
“If we are talking about real security guarantees, it means that there will be a just peace. Then we are talking about NATO membership,” Tsahkna told FT. “But without the US it is impossible. And then we are talking about any form [of guarantee] in the meaning of boots on the ground,” he added.
Tsahkna pointed out that there have been "lots of talks and lots of communications" among supporters of Kiev in the wake of Trump's election victory and following Ukraine's recent losses on the battlefield.
Estonia has consistently supported Ukraine, providing over $500,000 in military aid and advocating for increasingly stringent measures against Moscow.
The Estonian foreign minister expressed the complexity of providing security guarantees to Kiev without support from the US and raised questions about whether Trump would abandon NATO, citing America's political and economic interests.
Throughout his campaign, Trump asserted he could resolve the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours” if he were elected, though he did not specify how. He claimed he would leverage his “great relationship” with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to negotiate a peace deal.
While the Kremlin has downplayed the notion that Trump could swiftly finalize the conflict with Kiev, Putin remarked that the president-elect’s comments on the issue “deserve attention, at the very least.”
The Estonian foreign minister has called for EU nations to enhance their own defense industry capabilities, noting that with Ukraine now viewed as NATO’s frontline, the EU’s security framework might shift in the coming months alongside Ukraine's situation.
“We just cannot wait on whatever the US decides,” the Estonian cabinet member stressed.
Additionally, the Russian president has consistently denied any allegations of a potential military offensive against NATO countries by Moscow, labeling such claims as “nonsense.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has stated that EU member states should prepare to deploy military forces to Ukraine in the event that Trump brokers a peace settlement between Kiev and Moscow. In a Tuesday interview with the Financial Times, Tsahkna emphasized that NATO membership represents the best security assurance for Ukraine. If Trump were to oppose this, he asserted that the EU would need to step in and send troops once hostilities cease.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has indicated that joining the US-led military alliance—viewed by Russia as a threat—is the only feasible option left for ensuring Ukraine's national security, aside from acquiring nuclear capabilities. An immediate invitation to NATO formed part of the "victory plan" Zelensky unveiled to the public last month, aimed at resolving the conflict with Russia.
“If we are talking about real security guarantees, it means that there will be a just peace. Then we are talking about NATO membership,” Tsahkna told FT. “But without the US it is impossible. And then we are talking about any form [of guarantee] in the meaning of boots on the ground,” he added.
Tsahkna pointed out that there have been "lots of talks and lots of communications" among supporters of Kiev in the wake of Trump's election victory and following Ukraine's recent losses on the battlefield.
Estonia has consistently supported Ukraine, providing over $500,000 in military aid and advocating for increasingly stringent measures against Moscow.
The Estonian foreign minister expressed the complexity of providing security guarantees to Kiev without support from the US and raised questions about whether Trump would abandon NATO, citing America's political and economic interests.
Throughout his campaign, Trump asserted he could resolve the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours” if he were elected, though he did not specify how. He claimed he would leverage his “great relationship” with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to negotiate a peace deal.
While the Kremlin has downplayed the notion that Trump could swiftly finalize the conflict with Kiev, Putin remarked that the president-elect’s comments on the issue “deserve attention, at the very least.”
The Estonian foreign minister has called for EU nations to enhance their own defense industry capabilities, noting that with Ukraine now viewed as NATO’s frontline, the EU’s security framework might shift in the coming months alongside Ukraine's situation.
“We just cannot wait on whatever the US decides,” the Estonian cabinet member stressed.
Additionally, the Russian president has consistently denied any allegations of a potential military offensive against NATO countries by Moscow, labeling such claims as “nonsense.”
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
