Defense ministers from around 30 countries gathered on Thursday to press ahead with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia.

The meeting at NATO headquarters — the first between defense ministers representing the so-called coalition of the willing — comes after a visit to Kyiv last week by senior British and French military officers. It’s expected to work on fleshing out an agreement reached at an earlier meeting between leaders.

As usual with coalition gatherings, the United States will not take part, but the success of the coalition’s operation hinges on U.S. backup with airpower or other military assistance. However, the Trump administration has made no public commitment to provide support.

The Netherlands, Sweden and Finland underlined the “crucial” role of the United States.

“The United States is a crucial player still in guaranteeing lasting security” in Ukraine, said Finnish Defense Minister Annit Häkkänen. His Swedish counterpart, Pål Jonson, said success in Ukraine requires “some form of U.S. engagement” while Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called American support “very important” but said the form it took might differ, depending on the chosen type of European mission in Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ministers were “trying to keep the United States on board.”

Amid that uncertainty and U.S. warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in future, the force is seen as a first test of the continent’s willingness to defend itself and its interests.

Its make-up will depend on the nature of any peace agreement, but the contingent is unlikely to be stationed at Ukraine’s border with Russia. It would be located further from the ceasefire line, perhaps even outside Ukraine, and deploy to counter any Russian attack.

Building a force big enough to act as a credible deterrent is proving a considerable effort for nations that shrank their militaries after the Cold War but are now rearming. U.K. officials have talked about possibly 10,000 to 30,000 troops.

Countries are also reluctant to contribute personnel without U.S. support.

Ukrainian government officials and military analysts have said that Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in Ukraine in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.

On Friday, representatives from around 50 nations will gather at NATO to drum up military support for Ukraine. That meeting will be chaired by Britain and Germany. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to take part.

(AP)