European officials: Military deployment timeline hinges on ceasefire in Ukraine

The UK and France have announced plans to expedite military planning for a European-led "reassurance force" aimed at supporting a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.

However, the lack of US backing could pose a challenge to the initiative’s progress, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

On April 10, French and British defense leaders co-hosted a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels with counterparts from 30 countries, including European nations, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. 

The group convened to discuss the next steps in forming a ‘coalition of the willing’ to provide security guarantees for Ukraine should a peace deal be reached. A joint Franco-British technical team recently met with Ukrainian officials to assess the requirements for the structure and deployment areas of the proposed force. Following the talks, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told reporters that participants agreed to “accelerate military planning” over the next two weeks. 

This planning will focus on strengthening “air, sea, land [capabilities] and the regeneration of Ukrainian forces for the future,” Healey explained. French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu added that the countries involved would complete a detailed questionnaire by the end of next week. European defense chiefs and ministers from France and the UK will then assess the responses to determine which contributions can be made by the willing countries. 

Despite these plans, European defense officials have warned that a timeline for military deployment is unlikely to be set until a ceasefire agreement is in place. Healey also pushed back against those who referred to the initiative as a ‘peacekeeping force’. “This is not a peacekeeping force that will separate the currently warring sides down the line of contact,” he stated. EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, further explained, “It’s up to the member states to provide concrete numbers of troops (...), but let’s discuss that if there is a peace.”

Ministers also emphasised the need for clarity on the mission's objectives and the rules of engagement. Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans stressed the importance of having “a clear picture of what such a mission would entail,” including plans for possible scenarios, such as Russia breaking a future ceasefire agreement. Most European diplomats and military officials are skeptical that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to end the war. 

However, Europe is signaling its readiness to secure any peace agreement that may arise from US-Russia talks. This effort comes partly in response to US President Donald Trump’s desire to end the conflict quickly and partly to prepare for a potential reduction in US involvement. Despite the urgency, Trump has yet to provide assurances that European efforts will receive backing from US security guarantees. 

The discussions held on April 10 came just ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), which was originally led by the US but has been co-chaired by the UK and Germany since February. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will not attend the meeting on April 11 and will send a lower-level representative instead.

By Naila Huseynova