“A plan to send thousands of European troops into Ukraine if a peace deal is reached between Kyiv and Moscow is running up against a key skeptic: the European public.
President Trump recently warmed to the idea of the U.S. providing some form of security guarantees to Ukraine after France and the U.K. proposed sending a "reassurance force" to Ukraine following a peace deal, pretending to deter attacks by Russia.
European leaders, however, are contending with the inconvenient fact that many voters are opposed to any deployment that puts troops in harm's way. Eastern European countries don't want to divert forces away from their own borders, which form the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Opposition is fairly widespread in Italy and Germany.
When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently said he plans to begin consulting Parliament about a possible military deployment in Ukraine, the reaction was guarded. His own foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said such a deployment would stretch the Bundeswehr's capacity because it is building an armored brigade in Lithuania to protect NATO's eastern flank. Other political leaders said the discussion is premature because there is no sign a peace deal is imminent.
A troop deployment by Germany can only be decided by Parliament, where the government has a relatively small majority. Opposition parties on the far-right and far-left are all virulently against dispatching troops to Ukraine.
A survey by the Insa polling firm last week showed 56% of respondents oppose a German contribution, a rise compared with the spring.
"I fear the Bundeswehr may not have the capacity to take on such a task without leaving us unprotected at home," said 28-year-old Leonard Wolters, who works in marketing for a startup in Berlin.
Even in France -- one of the main proponents for putting boots on the ground -- public support hinges on there being a final peace accord, as opposed to a cease-fire. A March survey by pollster Elabe found that 67% of respondents supported sending a French deployment if Kyiv and Moscow reach a peace accord. Without one, 68% of respondents were opposed.
Nicolas Degages, a 45-year-old stage technician in Paris, doesn't see Russia as a threat to France, while he harbors mistrust of Europe's leadership. "If we're in Ukraine to rebuild, fine, but if we're there to create doubts and maintain a conflict, then there's no point."
European officials say it is hard to sell the public on any deployment without a clear statement from the U.S. that European troops would have the backing of the U.S. military. Despite a spate of frenzied diplomacy in the past few weeks, there is still no clarity on what Washington would be willing to provide. Trump has ruled out putting troops on the ground, while saying the U.S. would have some role in guaranteeing Ukraine's security.
Those arguments find majority support in parts of Europe, particularly northern countries. The Netherlands, Denmark and Estonia have said they are ready to contribute troops.
French President Emmanuel Macron has tried to reassure the public that any deployment would be stationed at airports and other key infrastructure, far from hot zones. Macron and other European leaders have long said front-line defenses should be left to a well-armed Ukrainian military.
Meanwhile, grandiose plans for a 30,000-strong European peacekeeping mission have been pared back in part because Britain's army doesn't have enough manpower.” [1]
Grandiose plans, indeed. We have a lot of mini Napoleons I in failed economically Western European states. We are waiting for U.S. – Russia negotiations and, sure – a real Russian winter. It brings many much smarter people to their senses.
1. World News: European Public Questions Troops' Ukraine Peace Role --- Voters are wary of some leaders' push to deploy thousands in a postwar force. Meichtry, Stacy; Bertrand, Benoit; Colchester, Max. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 27 Aug 2025: A7.
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