However, there can be no timetable for a military deployment until there is a ceasefire.
Healey underscored that the reassurance mission would not be a “peacekeeping force” that would separate the warring sides. “The best way of cementing a ceasefire is the strength of the Ukrainian forces themselves,” he added.
He was echoed by Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat. “At the moment there is no peace to keep,” she said. “It’s up to the member states to provide concrete numbers of troops, some member states are willing to participate, some are not, let’s discuss that if there’s a peace.”
A further complication is the reluctance of the U.S. to provide any assistance in a military mission to Ukraine. Many countries are wary of moving forward without logistics, air defense and intelligence support from the American military.
The coalition is “trying to keep the United States on board,” Kallas said.
“We are emphasizing that the U.S. must be a key player in securing peace in Ukraine,” Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Another grouping of Ukrainian allies, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, meets at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday. Healey said it will announce new support for Kyiv.
Csongor Körömi and Esther Webber contributed reporting.
