According to the publication, the proposed plan includes not only an increase in the Armed Forces of Ukraine but also the deployment of European troops on its territory, as well as a more active use of intelligence information from the US. Sources from the NYT report that these documents could form the basis for a future ceasefire agreement.
According to the newspaper, these measures are aimed at convincing Ukraine to make territorial compromises with Russia and to abandon its intentions to join NATO. One of the documents includes security guarantee principles similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Alliance, which provides for collective defense in the event of an attack. The second document contains detailed conditions for cooperation between American and European forces and Ukraine on security issues. Officially, none of these documents have been published yet.
According to the plan, a key task is to reduce the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 800,000, while the army should be equipped with modern equipment. As noted by The New York Times, during the conflict, the number of the Ukrainian armed forces has increased to nearly 900,000 personnel.
It is expected that European troops will be deployed in western Ukraine, away from the front line. It is not specified which countries may send their contingents. However, according to American officials, Washington believes that Vladimir Putin may agree to the presence of European troops if they do not operate under NATO command.
