 "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, May 28, 2025. (Photo: Annegret Hilse/Reuters)")
Germany can play a central role in crafting security guarantees for Ukraine but is unlikely to deploy troops there, the foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, has said. Berlin is already the only European contributor stationing a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania, and officials argue that adding a second permanent deployment in Ukraine would stretch the force beyond capacity.
The debate over guarantees will be a core theme when Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington on Monday. European capitals see credible, durable commitments as essential to any eventual peace framework between Kyiv and Moscow.
‘Important role’ for Berlin
Wadephul said Germany is ready to help shape a package with the United States and European partners, with Berlin playing an “important role”. Officials point to military and technical assistance as likely pillars, alongside coordination with allies on the scope and conditions of any pledge.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News there was support for “much more robust security guarantees” and for EU membership, floating an “Article 5-like” formulation that evokes Nato’s mutual defence clause.
German troops off the table
Germany has expanded defence spending but continues to face recruitment and training shortfalls. Troop numbers have plateaued at about 182,000. In April Berlin launched its first permanent foreign deployment since the second world war, a 5,000-strong armoured brigade in Lithuania to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank. Wadephul said stationing forces in Ukraine as well would “probably be too much”, though he noted the defence minister, Boris Pistorius, would review options.
Conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is also travelling to Washington, has remained vague about a possible deployment, previously suggesting Germany could participate if the United States did so.
Will “Article 5-like” pledges be enough?
It is unclear whether Zelenskyy would view a guarantee without troops on the ground as a sufficient deterrent, particularly given Trump’s earlier scepticism about Nato’s collective defence. German officials caution that any framework will require intricate coordination and time to define. “The issue of security guarantees is highly complex,” a government spokesperson said, adding that the specifics would emerge only through a lengthy process.