Western partners discuss deployment of non-NATO troops in Ukraine – media

Western partners, particularly the United States, are discussing the possibility of deploying troops from non-NATO countries in a future buffer zone in Ukraine, NBC News reports.

According to the ezine, if a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine ever comes together, the United States could take the lead role in monitoring a large buffer zone inside Ukraine envisioned as a way to protect the country from Russia, the sources report.

The buffer zone would be a large demilitarized area — the borders of which have not yet been decided — inside what is now Ukraine, dividing Russian and Ukrainian territory within the country. In part because of its technological capabilities, the United States would take the lead in watching the buffer zone, using drones and satellites along with other intelligence capabilities, but it would coordinate with other countries that would also monitor.

“The zone could then be secured by troops from one or more non-NATO countries, like Saudi Arabia or even Bangladesh, according to the people familiar with the plan. No U.S. troops would be deployed inside Ukraine, they said,” the message reads.

Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to agree to any plan for security guarantees for Ukraine, and NATO involvement or even the suggestion of it is a major issue for him, so the planners are taking pains to avoid using NATO forces or anything resembling NATO branding, some of the people familiar with the plan said.

Instead, some of the guarantees would be likely to rely on the troops from non-NATO countries and on a patchwork of bilateral agreements among Ukraine and its allies that would give Ukraine security assurances without involving NATO’s Article V — an attack on one means an attack on all — which amounts to a red line for Moscow.

The plan was developed after Trump met with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Among the challenges in the planning is deciding which Russian incursions will trigger a response from Ukraine or monitoring forces, and what kind of response will be allowed, one of the people said. The person said the rules of engagement still need to be finalized and are likely to be contested during any disputes after the agreement is reached and the buffer zone is established.