Can European ‘Boots on the Ground’ Help Protect Ukraine’s Security?

President Trump has vowed to end the fighting in Ukraine. Just how he could do that remains unclear, given that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia believes he is winning. But in his own blunt way, Mr. Trump has opened up the possibility of some kind of negotiations for a cease-fire.

If a deal was to be reached, analysts say, Mr. Trump would be likely to ask Europe to put it in place and to take responsibility for Ukraine, wanting to reduce the American commitment.

But a key question remains: How to secure what is left of Ukraine and prevent Mr. Putin from restarting the war, even several years from now?

The prospect of a deal has accelerated debate over so-called European boots on the ground to keep the peace, monitor a cease-fire and help deter Russia from future aggression. The question is whose boots, and how many, and whether Mr. Putin would ever agree.

It is a topic sure to be a central focus for discussion this week at the annual Munich Security Conference, which Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to attend.

Some European countries, among them the nations of the Baltics, as well as France and Britain, have raised the possibility of including some of their own troops in a force in Ukraine. Senior German officials have called the idea premature.