Ukraine’s Western backers struggling to muster troops – Times
European NATO members are struggling to assemble a ground force for Ukraine to keep an eye on a prospective ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev, the Times reported on Tuesday. The paper’s sources have indicated that even a collective deployment of 25,000 troops would be difficult due to manpower shortages and funding constraints.
A group of mostly European nations – which has been dubbed the “coalition of the willing” – has for months been seeking to muster a force to be deployed to Ukraine, purportedly in a post-conflict peacekeeping role. Russia, however, has opposed a foreign troop deployment in Ukraine under any pretext, warning they would be considered legitimate targets and that such a move could only escalate the conflict.
As part of debates on the foreign troop deployment, British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin had reportedly proposed that Kiev’s backers in Europe send a 64,000-strong force to the country, with the UK willing to contribute up to 10,000 personnel.
However, his European counterparts are said to have “thrashed” this proposal, with some officials stating that 25,000 troops would “be a push for a joint effort.”
While France has indicated a willingness to match the UK’s contribution, offering to send between 5,000 and 10,000 troops, the same cannot be said of other EU members, the article noted. Several countries, including Poland, Spain, and Italy, have expressed reluctance or refusal to commit troops altogether, citing concerns over depleting national defenses and the risks associated with deploying ground forces, the Times claimed.
Some of the more hardline Ukraine supporters reportedly voiced exasperation over the dispute. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene reportedly said, “Russia has 800,000 [troops]… If we can’t even raise 64,000 that doesn’t look weak – it is weak.”
“Without large populous countries committing [troops], it is a dead end,” a Times source said.
The current size of Britain’s regular army is 108,000, with British military commanders and officials complaining of a lack of funding while expressing concern about London’s ability to stand up to a near-peer adversary. The size of the French regular army is about 200,000, although a significant portion is deployed abroad.
The Times report comes after the Daily Telegraph claimed that discussions on troop deployments had shifted to alternative support measures, such as sending military trainers to western Ukraine to help rebuild Kiev’s military, rather than deploying troops close to the front line.
