On May 12, a draft document was leaked from the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, that aimed to create “extensive security commitments” before the start of July, according to Radio Free Europe.
Although the document strives to increase security commitments between the EU and Ukraine, it specifically excludes the “direct participation of EU soldiers alongside Ukrainian soldiers in combat operations against Russia”, according to the German magazine Welt am Sonntag.
This comes as military aid to Ukraine has been inconsistent from the United States, with the first aid package in over a year agreed upon in April. In the time since, Ukraine has slowly, but surely, lost territory to Russian forces.
Due to the inconsistency of aid from the United States, and the encroaching threat from Russia, many European nations have revitalized their national defense industries. Germany, France, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have been leading the charge in supporting Ukraine with aid.
France, arguably the foremost military power in Europe has been arguing for increased European military cohesion and for further aid to Ukraine.
Most controversially, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he has not ruled out the idea of European nations sending troops into Ukraine.
This comes as Russian forces have engaged in new offensives and are actively pushing Ukrainian forces backward.
