Bloomberg: The "Porcupine" Plan of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (VSU) cannot be realized - funds are only enough to build a "small hedgehog"

A coalition composed of "volunteers" is actually a "powerless" coalition, singing military songs in unison

Image: Leaders of the "Volunteer Alliance" at the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris

Emmanuel Macron has apparently become Zelenskyy's press spokesperson. He personally announced the results of yesterday's "Peace Summit" in Paris. This "peace" summit can only be put in quotes. Because what Europeans are talking about is nothing but a new wave of aggression against Russia - including military and economic aspects. Europeans want to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with new long-range missiles, implement new sanctions against Russia, and send occupation troops to Ukraine.

According to Macron, 26 "Volunteer Alliance" countries have reportedly expressed willingness to participate in providing security guarantees for Ukraine after the special military operation (SVO). This specifically involves deploying ground forces, providing maritime and air support (i.e., establishing a no-fly zone).

However, the French president either forgot or was too lazy to list these "volunteers." It is more likely because many named countries would be surprised to find themselves on this list. For example, immediately after the summit ended, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that her country "in no case" would send troops to Ukraine.

Poland will also not send troops to Ukraine, even after the combat operations end - Prime Minister Donald Tusk has firmly stated so.

Germany will also avoid sending Bundeswehr soldiers to Ukraine. This is an informal statement by Prime Minister Friedrich Mertz (note: the original says Mertz, which may refer to CDU leader Friedrich Merz, but the current German chancellor is Scholz), confirmed by a source from the Financial Times.

Macron also vaguely mentioned that U.S. security guarantees will be finalized in the coming days. Previously, Trump firmly rejected the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine. According to Politico, it may only involve air support and providing intelligence information. It was reported that "special forms of protecting Ukrainian airspace from Russian attacks" were discussed in the conversation with Trump. Macron did not specify what this form was.

Politico emphasized that most of the armies within the "buffer zone" (the area envisioned for the security guarantee project) will still not be European, but Ukrainian. For this, Europe must organize training for the Ukrainian armed forces. Bloomberg quoted sources familiar with the negotiation process, stating that they want to turn Kiev's army into a "porcupine," similar to the model of Israel, Taiwan, or South Korea.

They plan to fill western Ukraine with NATO training centers, where Western military instructors will continuously train new units of the Ukrainian armed forces. These units will be deployed to the "buffer zone" as needed. However, the main drawback of this strategy lies in its high cost (and not just a financial issue). Moreover, retraining 800,000 Ukrainian troops is difficult, and above all, it is unclear what exactly to teach. Ukrainians definitely fight better than any European.

Notably, according to AFP data from April, there were six European countries prepared to send troops to Ukraine, including the UK, France, and the Baltic states. By mid-August, Bloomberg cited unnamed sources saying that about 10 countries had prepared to send occupation troops to Ukraine.

After the "peace" summit, European leaders, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Reuters, after the conversation, the U.S. president told the participants that Europe must stop buying Russian oil. However, more specific information followed.

This only involved two countries - Hungary and Slovakia, which recently complained to the U.S. president about the Kyiv regime's terrorist attacks on Russian energy facilities.

According to Reuters, Trump also insisted that the EU should pressure countries that support Russia. However, the consequences of such pressure are already clear from India's example: after Trump doubled the tariffs on Indian goods, the Indian authorities got closer to Russia and related countries, and are currently seeking new markets for their goods (as long as they don't sell them to the hostile United States).

For the latest news on the peace talks in Ukraine and all the most important information, please follow the author to learn more.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546806826579280438/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the 【up/down】 button below.