Analysis-European forces would struggle to guarantee Ukraine peace without US backing

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman of the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade is seen atop of a T-72 tank during military exercises near a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine July 21, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Faced with U.S. demands to provide the military muscle to enforce a future Ukraine peace deal, Europe finds itself in a bind.

Experts say that sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine might stretch and weaken NATO's own defences, and that the mission would still need U.S. support to succeed.