European Leaders Should Prepare to Deploy Troops for Russia-Ukraine Peace, Says Estonian Foreign Minister
By [Politico Staff]
European leaders must be ready to send military forces to secure any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine brokered by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, according to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
While NATO membership for Ukraine would provide the strongest security guarantees, Tsahkna suggested that deploying troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential agreement could be the next best alternative.
“If we are talking about real security guarantees, it means that there will be a just peace, and then we are talking about NATO membership,” Tsahkna said in an interview with the Financial Times published Tuesday. “But without the U.S., it is impossible. And then we are talking about any form [of guarantee] in the meaning of boots on the ground.”
During his campaign, Trump threatened to leave NATO unless European members significantly increased their defense spending. He also pledged to negotiate a fast peace deal once he assumes office in January 2025, raising concerns that any agreement might not be favorable to Kyiv.
Despite these fears, Tsahkna expressed doubt that Trump would actually follow through with pulling the U.S. out of NATO, stating that abandoning Europe to Russia is not in the U.S.’s strategic interest.
Nevertheless, Tsahkna emphasized the need for European countries to bolster their defense capabilities independently. He urged other nations to follow Estonia’s lead by increasing defense spending—which the small Baltic state funds through higher taxes. Estonia, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, currently allocates 3.4 percent of its GDP to defense, the second highest rate in NATO, after Poland.
“We just cannot wait on whatever the U.S. decides,” Tsahkna warned.
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Key Points:
– Estonian Foreign Minister calls for European military presence to support potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal.
– Tsahkna believes NATO membership for Ukraine would be the best long-term solution but urges readiness for troop deployment.
– He stresses that European nations must enhance defense spending, independent of U.S. decisions.
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