“France and Britain discuss sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine — The Telegraph January 16, 06:55 Share: British serviceman (Photo: British Ministry of Defence) French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are discussing the possibility of sending their countries’ military personnel to Ukraine as a peacekeeping contingent, reports The Telegraph. It is assumed that the peacekeepers should act as a security guarantee for Ukraine in the event of agreements with the Russian Federation on a ceasefire. This is one”, — write on: ua.news
British serviceman (Photo: British Ministry of Defence)
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are discussing the possibility of sending their countries’ military personnel to Ukraine as a peacekeeping contingent, The Telegraph reports.
It is assumed that the peacekeepers should act as a security guarantee for Ukraine in case of agreements with the Russian Federation on a ceasefire.
This is one of the ideas that “now they speak more and more often not only in public debates, but also behind closed doors” in the British government, the journalists specify.
The French president supports this idea and has already discussed it with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The publication notes that spokesmen in Downing Street and the Elysee Palace did not deny that Starmer and Macron had discussed the possibility during a meeting last week.
At the same time, officials in London and Paris are keeping the details of the talks secret. However, The Telegraph reports, numerous authoritative British government sources note that Starmer has not yet fully agreed with this initiative.
One Whitehall source, speaking to The Telegraph, drew attention to open questions about the possible threat to this peacekeeping contingent, and whether it would “escalation”.
It is possible to send NATO troops to Ukraine – what is known
As Le Monde reported, discussions about sending troops to Ukraine resumed in November 2024, after the victory of US President Donald Trump in the elections.
On December 3, RFE/RL, citing a high-ranking NATO representative who wished to remain anonymous, reported that France and Great Britain are discussing possible options for guaranteeing Ukraine’s security in the event of peace talks with Russia. One of these options is the deployment of troops from both countries along the demarcation line to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
On December 13, Radio Svoboda reported that Macron wants to bring up for discussion at the summit of European Union leaders on December 18-19 the issue of the placement of troops of the peacekeeping mission within the borders of Ukraine in the event of a possible ceasefire within the framework of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to Reuters, European Union countries may send up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission in the event of a ceasefire.
On December 19, Zelenskyi said that Ukraine supports France’s initiative to deploy a military contingent on its territory as part of security guarantees and calls on international partners to join these efforts.