American and European negotiators have agreed on two documents on security guarantees for Kiev during meetings with Ukrainian government officials in Berlin.
These documents provide for the strengthening of the Ukrainian army, the deployment of European troops in the country as a deterrent and the wider use of American intelligence, The New York Times reported, citing its sources.
One of the documents outlines “general principles“, similar to the guarantees under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which enshrines the principle of collective defense.
American officials have described the second part of the agreement as an “operational document for military-to-military interaction“. It outlines cooperation between American and European forces and the Ukrainian military, designed to ensure that hostilities do not resume in the coming years. The document includes a number of specific directives, sources said, “intended to reassure Ukraine in various scenarios.”
According to sources, the US-EU proposal envisions a Ukrainian army of approximately 800,000 well-trained soldiers, includes equipment modernization and training, and the deployment of European units in western Ukraine. The US does not plan to send troops, but will provide intelligence support and oversight of any future ceasefire.