According to media reports, European allies largely agree with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington will need to provide troops for any future peacekeeping forces in the country to make these efforts credible.
The publication notes that European allies of Kyiv stated: the U.S. may be on board with this idea, despite Trump's initial reluctance. However, they emphasized that it is still too early to discuss in detail what future peacekeeping forces in Ukraine will look like.
A senior representative of a European government explained to reporters that if European countries are forced to send troops independently, it could undermine trust in guarantees and create a rift in NATO, as this would effectively signal the end of transatlantic cooperation within the Alliance.
At the same time, a Western diplomat who has interacted with the Republican team on this issue believes that Trump's skepticism regarding support for Ukraine has softened. His team has shown Washington's willingness to focus on providing security guarantees to Kyiv, which they privately acknowledge as inevitable, the media notes.
In exchange for these commitments, Trump may expect Europe to shoulder a greater share of the burden in ensuring any potential agreement. Europeans understand that the U.S. expects them to provide the bulk of the troops, according to the same diplomat, as Trump views the war in Ukraine as a European issue, the publication reports.
European allies have realized that they cannot rely on significant U.S. involvement, but must prepare for the fact that Washington will play a role only in certain capacities, without sending troops on the ground. As Bloomberg summarized, this could complicate the situation.