According to the parliamentarian, without Washington's involvement, the presence of European troops in Ukraine is practically impossible.
„Is Europe ready to send troops to Ukraine? Is Germany ready? Is the United Kingdom ready? (...) Europe, despite identifying and now stating that we will increase our defence spending to 5 per cent, (...) does not yet possess those capabilities. These are pipe dreams about European capabilities in Ukraine – unless they come with US support. Logistical, strategic, intelligence, and other support,“ Jeglinskas told journalists in the Seimas on Wednesday.
„If the US leads this coalition, I think all the questions would be different. Without the US, I have no illusions that Europe could do anything in Ukraine. That is my assessment,“ he said.
When asked how many troops Lithuania could send to Ukraine, the politician said it was still challenging to answer.
Kasčiūnas: We would be talking about deploying a company
Meanwhile, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, deputy Chairman of the NSGK and leader of the Conservative Party, insists that if European countries mobilise, Lithuania must act in solidarity and send troops to Ukraine. According to the former Minister of National Defence, this would most likely involve sending a unit the size of a Lithuanian army company.
„I believe that we must show solidarity – without any doubt. If Europe says that it is forming a coalition of those willing and able, we must participate,“ the member of the Seimas told journalists.
„We are talking about a company that is 150–200 soldiers.
But let's keep in mind that one company is on a training mission or performing security functions in Ukraine, and two must be on standby,“ he explained.
Responding to the NSGK chairman's scepticism that, without US involvement, the presence of European troops in Ukraine is impossible, Kasčiūnas pointed out that appropriate solutions can be found in this situation.
„If Europeans find a way to deploy several brigades in Ukraine, say, for the protection of critical infrastructure, training missions, other functions (...), the Americans, with their allies – primarily with air defence systems (...) – from Poland and Romania, could cover the operations of those forces and protect the bases of Western soldiers,“ said the Conservative leader, noting that in such a case, US troops would not be deployed directly in Ukraine.
ELTA recalls that on Monday, a meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents and European leaders was held in Washington on Russia's four-year war against Ukraine.
One of the topics discussed at the White House meeting was the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine. According to the US president, these will be provided by „various European countries in coordination with the United States.“ However, when asked whether the security guarantees could include the presence of American troops in Ukraine, Trump said that this would be discussed later.
When asked about security guarantees, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that everything was needed: a strong army, weapons, military training, equipment, and intelligence capabilities.
On Tuesday, Trump said that Washington was ready to support its European partners in implementing security guarantees for Ukraine by providing air support.