Back in March, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that London was prepared to deploy “boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.” French President Emmanuel Macron made a similar statement.

The hypothetical contingent would be acting in a “peacekeeping” capacity if and when Kiev and Moscow agree to a ceasefire. However, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Italy have all expressed a reluctance or refused to commit troops for the potential mission.

Russia has strongly opposed the stationing of NATO military personnel in the neighboring country under any pretext.

In an article on Saturday, the Sunday Times predicted that should the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump result in a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, Kiev would likely want to see “international monitors on the ground.”

However, according to the British newspaper, “it is unlikely that the answer here will be the ‘coalition of the willing’.”

The publication quoted an unnamed UK defense official as acknowledging that “no one wants to send their troops to die in Ukraine.”

Back in May, the Financial Times, citing an anonymous source, reported that the coalition’s plans for a deployment in Ukraine were “dead” now that the US had refused to provide backing.

A little earlier, The Times similarly claimed that the plan was unrealistic due to personnel shortages faced by European militaries.

Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the European NATO member states of pursuing a “militaristic [and] confrontational” course.

Back in April, Sergey Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s National Security Council and former defense minister, warned that the arrival of NATO troops in Ukraine could lead to a third world war.

The Kremlin has repeatedly described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war being waged against Russia by the West, with Kiev being used as an expendable battering ram.

The outreach comes ahead of the Trump-Putin talks scheduled for Aug. 15 and follows a weekend of diplomacy between U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials. Vice President JD Vance met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the U.K. on Aug. 9, and EU ambassadors were briefed on the discussions a day later.

The bloc’s foreign ministers are due to hold a virtual meeting on Aug. 11, according to Bloomberg.

As part of ongoing U.S.-Russia discussions, Putin told special envoy Steve Wikoff during an Aug. 6 meeting that Russia would agree to a full ceasefire if Kyiv withdrew its forces from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, granting Moscow full control of those partly occupied regions as well as Crimea.

President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly rejected on Aug. 9 the idea of ceding any Ukrainian territory to end Russia’s war, with talks on the proposal beginning in the U.K. with U.S., Ukrainian, and EU officials on Aug. 9.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told ABC’s This Week on Aug. 10 that any agreement would “have to be on the table” in terms of territory, along with security guarantees for Ukraine. He suggested this could mean Kyiv acknowledging the loss of control over certain areas without formally renouncing sovereignty.

Ukraine and its European allies are instead pushing for a ceasefire based on the current front line as a first step toward a broader settlement, combined with continued economic pressure on Moscow. European leaders reiterated over the weekend that “international borders must not be changed by force” and that “the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”

According to Bloomberg, the potential deal discussed between Washington and Moscow would see Russian forces halt their offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts along existing battle lines. However, it remains unclear whether Moscow would agree to relinquish any occupied territory, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest in Europe.

Putin has maintained his war aims, which include Ukraine adopting neutral status, abandoning its NATO aspirations, and accepting the loss of Crimea and four other regions Moscow claims to have annexed in 2022.

On Friday, Trump announced he would meet Putin on August 15 in Alaska. In the hours after the announcement, several outlets reported that Zelensky might take part in some form, with a senior White House official telling CBS News the planning was “still fluid” and that Zelensky could be involved.

However, the Washington Post has reported that no invitation has been extended to Zelensky so far. Reuters has also said, citing sources, that the White House is still considering inviting him, but is currently focused on organizing a bilateral meeting, at Russia’s request.

CNN sources, however, said that the Trump administration hasn’t ruled out Zelensky being in Alaska during the summit. One White House official also told CNN that “anything involving Zelensky” would likely take place after the Trump-Putin meeting.

Putin has said he will not rule out a meeting with Zelensky, but the Kremlin has stressed that the conditions for such talks have not been met.

Trump has suggested that upcoming negotiations could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” However, on Saturday, Zelensky rejected any land-swap proposals, citing limitations imposed by Ukraine’s constitution.

The Washington Post has noted that, given the strained relationship between Trump and Zelensky after their tense Oval Office meeting earlier this year, Zelensky’s refusal to consider territorial concessions could risk potential blowback from Trump, who has previously described him as difficult to negotiate with.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that any peace deal must address the root causes of the conflict and reflect the realities on the ground, including the status of Crimea as well as the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, which joined Russia after referendums in 2022.