A proposal to involve Indian troops in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine was rejected by US President Donald Trump, according to a book titled “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump” by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
The proposal was raised by US Vice President JD Vance during a White House meeting in January 2025, shortly after Trump returned to office. The discussions focused on possible arrangements to enforce a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine as part of Washington’s efforts to end the conflict.
Also present at the meeting were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, then NSA Mike Waltz and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The book says that Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Lt. Gen Keith Kellogg proposed a peacekeeping framework involving European troops, including forces from Britain, France and the Netherlands. However, Vance raised concerns over deploying NATO troops, arguing that such a move could provoke Moscow, which has opposed the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine.
Vance suggested support from countries outside Europe like Saudi Arabia and India. To this, Trump said, “The Indians won’t do that. They won’t pay for something like that.”
Although the Indian government never formally addressed sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, however in a private event later, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor suggested if and when a ceasefire is announced, a small part of the peacekeeping force could be sent from India.
The Indian government has not commented on the issue, limiting itself to calling for peaceful resolution of the war through dialogue.
(With inputs from agencies)
