LEILA FADEL, HOST:
European leaders are meeting for a second emergency summit in Paris today to debate how to monitor a potential ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia. This comes a day after top officials from the U.S. and Russia held talks over ending the war without Europeans at the table. From Brussels, Teri Schultz takes a look at what Europe's mission may entail.
TERI SCHULTZ, BYLINE: Even with no conditions yet set for Russia and Ukraine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued tough terms to European NATO allies last week, assigning them to be the keepers of the peace Washington intends to broker.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETE HEGSETH: To be clear, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine.
SCHULTZ: Hegseth said this mission cannot be under NATO auspices nor benefit from the alliance's guarantees of support in case Russia attacks. So can European militaries go it alone?
CAMILLE GRAND: The mindset that Europeans should have is a yes-we-can mindset.
SCHULTZ: That's former NATO official Camille Grand, now with the European Council on Foreign Relations.
GRAND: We can do it, but there are some political and military conditions that have to be met. But I could foresee a situation where the force is made of European boots on the ground but does benefit from forms of support provided by NATO and the United States for the command and control, for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
SCHULTZ: These are conditions allies are urging the Trump administration to accept. The Carnegie Endowment's Michael Kofman has just returned from near the front line in Ukraine. He envisions a limited ground force.
MICHAEL KOFMAN: Something on the equivalent of three brigades - maybe about 15,000 troops. They need about three times that, perhaps, for rotation, so a total of 40,000-50,000 personnel. This is rather achievable in the means of current European militaries.
SCHULTZ: They would reinforce - not replace - Ukrainian troops, Kofman says, and wouldn't have to cover the whole front line if Moscow respects whatever boundaries are eventually established. But counting on Kremlin compliance could still be politically paralyzing for European leaders with lives of their soldiers at stake. As Kofman describes, one all-important question...
KOFMAN: If it is a trip wire force, then what does that trip wire connect to?
SCHULTZ: If the answer is anything less than the Pentagon, Europeans fear their presence alone won't be convincing to the Kremlin.
For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels.
(SOUNDBITE OF ZEITGEISTER'S "NOC TURNE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.