Source: EU summit to start concrete discussion of deployment of EU troops in Ukraine

EU leaders will start working on the idea of EU security guarantees for Ukraine following the potential conclusion of hostilities, including the deployment of European troops in Ukraine, on 6 March during an unscheduled European Council meeting in Brussels.

One of the EU officials familiar with preparing the summit's agenda said in a comment to European Pravda on condition of anonymity that on 6 March, the leaders of the European Union member states will begin the first concrete joint discussion of the deployment of their military contingent in Ukraine after the end of the war or after the beginning of a ceasefire.

The EU official reported that practical work on EU security guarantees for Ukraine will begin during this European Council meeting, including planning for the possibility of EU forces being deployed on Ukrainian territory.

The official said that so far there has been no debate on this topic, and only a few EU member states have openly declared their willingness or unwillingness to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

The European official hoped that more states would support this approach during the summit.

Nevertheless, a specific decision on the deployment of EU troops in Ukraine cannot be made until the format of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine is clear.

The source stated that it is premature to talk about specific decisions as there has been no ceasefire, and no peace agreement has been signed yet. Moreover, the political context is constantly changing.

He also asserted that the first step in providing security guarantees to Ukraine is supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and strengthening the Ukrainian army so that the country can defend itself in the case of new aggression.

A European official stated that the latter item is included in the most recent version of the proposed conclusions of the European Council summit on 6 January.

The London summit defined support for the Armed Forces as the "first level" of security guarantees for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Hungary continues to threaten to block the inclusion of a reference to military support for Ukraine in the final statement of the EU summit on 6 March.

The EU is preparing for the possibility that a pro-Russian group of EU leaders could disrupt key decisions at this week's summit.