Overview
- An Atlantic Council analysis urges Europeans to consider placing trainers and support units inside Ukraine to boost leverage in talks and demonstrate that the Kremlin cannot dictate Kyiv’s security guarantees.
- The UK- and France-led Coalition of the Willing is presented as a practical path for a European role, with potential tasks including border monitoring near Belarus and Transnistria, infrastructure protection, and in-country training.
- A Washington Examiner column criticizes NATO chief Mark Rutte for saying Europe cannot defend itself without the U.S., noting allies’ higher spending and arguing for a stronger European pillar within NATO.
- A new CFR report recommends U.S. steps to reduce escalation risks with Russia, including reaffirming NATO defense commitments, sustaining deployments in Poland, leveraging asymmetric capabilities, and pursuing incident-reduction channels.
- Fresh CFR assessments underscore that Russia’s lagging economy constrains its foreign policy tools over time, even as Russian forces and heavy weapons remain in eastern Ukraine and activity near NATO borders heightens accident risks.