U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 18th (local time) that the United States would participate in ensuring the security of Ukraine, leading to ongoing discussions about various methods of troop deployment.
During a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump responded to reporters' questions about security measures including the stationing of U.S. troops in Ukraine, saying, "There will be significant support regarding security guarantees."
He continued with, "Europe is on the front line, which makes them the first line of defense," while also stating, "We will help them, and we will get involved as well." He did not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops being stationed in Ukraine.
The option of deploying troops to Ukraine has been consistently discussed among European leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom. However, no one disclosed specific deployment methods on that day. The New York Times (NYT) presented three scenarios in an article titled "What does a military form of security guarantee for Ukraine mean?"
First, the deployment of peacekeeping forces is mentioned. This involves third-country armed troops being sent to support the Ukrainian military and deter further Russian invasion, similar to the organized deployment of the 'Alliance of Will' led by the United Kingdom and France. NYT explained, "The key is to make the Kremlin hesitant to invade by making them aware of the possibility of a clash with NATO forces."
The issue is that tens of thousands of troops are needed to deter Russian forces. It remains uncertain whether European nations can actually send large-scale troops to Ukraine. Although more than 30 countries are participating in the 'Alliance of Will' initiative, only the United Kingdom and France have expressed willingness to deploy their troops.
Some countries are showing reluctance to send troops to Ukraine. Johannes Wadephul, Germany's Foreign Minister, mentioned in a podcast on the 17th that Germany had decided to send 5,000 troops to Lithuania, stating, "Deploying additional forces to Ukraine could be an excessive burden." He effectively expressed opposition to the deployment of German troops to Ukraine.
The deployment of peacekeeping forces is also the method that Russia reacts most sensitively to. Ahead of the U.S.-Ukraine talks, Russia reaffirmed its position, stating, "We firmly reject any scenario in which NATO member state troops are deployed to Ukraine," warning that the deployment of NATO forces could result in unpredictable consequences.
Given Russia's strong opposition to troop deployment, a smaller-scale 'tripwire force' method is being considered as an alternative. The tripwire force, which derives its name from mines that explode when stepped on, focuses on deterrence rather than defense because an attack on the small forces stationed at the front line would lead to war with the entire country of that force.
NYT reported, "This force cannot provide strong defense, but the calculation is that Russia finds it difficult to invade at the risk of attacking European soldiers." However, regarding the tripwire method, it pointed out that "it remains an unverified hypothesis and could be a very large gamble."
Another method of troop deployment is to send a monitoring group to oversee Russian military actions. According to NYT, the monitoring group consists of only several hundred members and cannot perform a defensive role against Russia. The monitoring mission can be substituted with satellites or ground cameras.
There were no specific discussions regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine at this summit. Whether actual troops will be deployed, and in what form, is likely to be discussed in future talks related to the war in Ukraine. NYT stated, "President Trump did not promise any form of the deployment of U.S. troops."