British Troops In Ukraine? Potentially, Says Incoming American Administration

Viewed from on high, the current frontline in Ukraine stretches around 640 miles through barren forests, ruined towns, and pockmarked fields resembling the landscape of the moon more than that of Eastern Europe. And this is what British Soldiers could be patrolling under a new plan that is being considered by the incoming Trump Administration. 

The plan is currently being explored as a way to provide security assurances to Ukraine without the country joining the NATO alliance. Under this potential deal, Ukraine would be barred from joining NATO for 20 years but would be armed to the teeth with American weapons. Other than providing weapons, the Trump administration would have a hands-off approach, “We are not sending American men and women to uphold peace in Ukraine. And we are not paying for it. Get the Poles, Germans, British and French to do it.” A member of Trump’s team told the Wall Street Journal. 

While there is precedent for creating demilitarized zones (DMZ) between belligerent states, there is no precedent for one spread across 745 miles of land. The zone between North and South Korea stretches just 150 miles and is protected by thousands of troops from the U.S. and South Korea. A future DMZ between Russia and Ukraine would not only be longer but it would also likely require far more troops than the DMZ that splits the two Koreas. This raises the question, how large of a force can the British Army spare?