European leaders are considering the creation of a 40-kilometre buffer zone between the Ukrainian and Russian front line as part of a deal to end the war, according to a report.
Five diplomatic sources told Politico that the buffer zone could form part of a postwar or ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. The US is not currently involved in the talks.
Officials are said to be discussing how many European troops would be needed to patrol the border, ranging from 4,000 to around 60,000 soldiers. However, questions remain over how a Russian escalation would be managed and responded to.
Two European officials said that French and British forces would make up most of the peacekeeping force, with troops also helping to train Ukrainian forces as well as patrolling the demilitarised zone.
It remains unclear whether the plan will be accepted by Kyiv as it may involve territorial concessions, Politico reported.
Russian missiles pounded Kyiv on Thursday in the second largest aerial assault on the capital of the war so far, killing at least 23 people including four children.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”
The strike came just two weeks after President Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska as part of efforts to accelerate a peace agreement to end the conflict. The talks ended without a peace deal or an agreement over Ukraine’s security.
Trump has urged the Russian leader to meet with Zelensky but Moscow has dismissed any prospect of a bilateral summit, saying the agenda for such a summit is not ready.
Putin has remained resolute that Ukraine must not be allowed to join Nato and that Russia should be given control of the entire Donbas region as part of a peace deal.
Earlier this year, the Kremlin said that Russian forces were pushing to create “buffer zones along the border with Ukraine to dissuade Kyiv from what they claimed were attempts to shift the fighting onto Russian territory.
