An anonymous source has told the Financial Times that the plan by the United Kingdom and France to put NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) troops on the ground in Ukraine is “dead.” The plan is still being pushed by some Western backers. However, the U.S. is refusing to “backstop” the idea.

Luckily, the United States has turned down a request by Kiev’s European backers to provide support for the proposed mission, with President Donald Trump arguing that America should never have been involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the first place. [Financial Times article behind a paywall]

According to a report by RT, France and the UK are the leading powers in the so-called “coalition of the willing”, back deploying troops to Ukraine, ostensibly as a security guarantee for Kiev. Moscow has maintained that it will not tolerate any NATO member’s presence in Ukraine under any circumstances.

Russia Accuses France Of Getting Ready To Deploy Troops To Ukraine

The official source told the Financial Times that the plan is “preposterous without the help of Trump, and he’s not willing to provide it.”

Europe Unveils Rival Ukraine Peace Plan Backed By ‘Boots On The Ground & Planes In The Air’

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky said on Tuesday that the increase in attacks is a mirror response to Russian operations. Moscow has recently launched several strikes inside Ukraine, reportedly targeting a major kamikaze drone facility in Kiev and other military sites. The West also recently lifted the restrictions on using its long-range missiles to strike Russia, which undoubtedly caused the tensions to rise.

West Lifts Limits On Long-Range Missile Strikes By Ukraine

A ceasefire could still be possible, but agreements are hard to come by as the war wages on and the West seems insistent that it continues to make sure it crosses Russia’s red lines repeatedly.