Germany abandons concept of sending troops to Ukraine

(MENAFN) Germany has dropped plans to potentially deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a future peacekeeping mission, Bild reported on Sunday, citing government insiders. The idea, previously supported by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was linked to a proposal from the "coalition of the willing"—a group of Western nations advocating continued support for Kiev, including monitoring a future ceasefire with Russia.

Despite these discussions, the proposal faced a major setback following statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump declared that American troops would not be sent to Ukraine and urged the EU to take full responsibility for any future peacekeeping efforts, including security guarantees.

Following Trump’s comments, Berlin reportedly paused its internal deliberations on troop deployment "until further notice." Government sources suggested the idea might be reconsidered if Trump’s position changes or a peace agreement is reached between Moscow and Kiev.

Chancellor Merz confirmed the change in direction during a Sunday interview with ZDF, stating that “nobody is talking about ground troops at this point.” He indicated that such discussions could resume only after a ceasefire is in place.

Instead of military involvement, Germany is expected to shift focus to financial and logistical support. Plans include continuing to train Ukrainian soldiers, helping expand weapons production inside Ukraine through German defense firms, and potentially funding part of Ukrainian troop salaries post-ceasefire to ensure the country retains adequate defense capacity.

Ukraine has made clear that it expects security guarantees from Western allies as part of any peace agreement. While Moscow hasn’t entirely ruled out such guarantees, it insists that any agreements must be negotiated with its involvement. Russia remains firmly opposed to any Western military presence in Ukraine, emphasizing that NATO’s expansion was a root cause of the conflict.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated last week that security guarantees should come after a peace settlement—not before—and must reflect Russia’s own security needs. She reiterated that any lasting agreement must include Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutrality, non-nuclear status, and recognition of current territorial realities.

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