European leaders are testing support for a plan to deploy thousands of troops to Ukraine if Kyiv and Moscow reach a peace agreement, but they are colliding with a skeptical electorate and limited military bandwidth—even as Donald Trump warms to offering some form of U.S. security backstop without sending American troops.

Public opinion turns a hard key

A proposal to send a European “reassurance force” into Ukraine after a peace deal faces resistance among voters wary of risking direct confrontation with Russia. In Germany, an Insa survey last week showed 56% opposed a Bundeswehr contribution, up from the spring. In Poland, 58.5% were strongly against sending troops and another 28% “probably not.” In France, support flips depending on the condition: an Elabe poll in March found 67% backed a deployment if a peace accord is signed; without one, 68% opposed it.

Germany’s tightrope

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he plans to consult parliament on a possible deployment, but his foreign minister Johann Wadephul warns it would stretch the Bundeswehr as it builds an armored brigade in Lithuania for NATO’s eastern flank. Any German troop move requires a Bundestag vote—no easy lift for a government with a slim majority and vocal opposition on both far-right and far-left. “I fear the Bundeswehr may not have the capacity to take on such a task without leaving us unprotected at home,” said Berlin startup worker Leonard Wolters, 28.

France’s conditional pitch

President Emmanuel Macron stresses any deployment would stay far from front lines, guarding airports and key infrastructure while Ukraine maintains front-line defense. “The objective of these reassurance forces is not to be guarantors of peacekeeping operations. They are not going to hold the border,” he said, framing France’s role as “strategic support.”

Britain’s caveats

Prime Minister Keir Starmer signals the U.K. could contribute—but only with an explicit U.S. backstop if European troops come under Russian attack. With manpower tight, U.K. and French commitments together are discussed in a range of 6,000–10,000 troops, with Britain likely emphasizing air and maritime policing and training Ukrainian ground forces. Whether British troops could fire on Russian soldiers in a reinvasion remains unanswered.

Eastern flank anxieties

Border states balance solidarity with exposure. Poland, a key early donor of tanks, jets and armor to Kyiv, draws a red line on troop deployments, warning its forces could escalate the conflict and risk spillover onto Polish soil. Across Eastern Europe, governments hesitate to divert units from guarding NATO’s frontier to missions inside Ukraine.

Populist pushback

The political cost is mounting. After European leaders met Trump in Washington and momentum grew for a U.S.-backed force, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini blasted the idea: “You go there if you want. Put your helmet on, your jacket, your rifle and you go to Ukraine.”

What Washington will—and won’t—do

European officials say public buy-in hinges on a clear U.S. commitment. Trump rules out American troops but signals the U.S. “will have some role” in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security; European proponents argue a visible European presence is vital to deter renewed Russian aggression. Northern states like the Netherlands, Denmark and Estonia say they are ready to contribute. Still, without a defined U.S. backstop and an actual peace deal, many leaders call the troop debate premature.