French President Emmanuel Macron said that 'several thousand' French soldiers could be deployed to maintain peace in Ukraine following a ceasefire
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said that 'several thousand' French soldiers could be deployed to maintain peace in Ukraine following a ceasefire.
In an interview with TV channel France 2 during a Paris meeting of Western and European countries, Macron said that "France will take part in operations" to monitor the Russian-Ukrainian border after a ceasefire agreement is signed on Tuesday.
He stressed, however, that the French soldiers would not be combat forces, adding that France will participate in the "regeneration of the Ukrainian army."
Macron added that "work has been carried out between the Ukrainians, the Coalition of the Willing and the Americans. They will be the ones responsible for determining whether the border area is violated or not."
A coalition of about 30 Western and European countries agreed Tuesday at a meeting in Paris that any future peace settlement must include robust and binding security guarantees for Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to a joint declaration, they stand ready to put in place a system of politically and legally binding guarantees once a ceasefire takes effect. This will include participation in a US-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism, military support for Ukraine and long-term defence cooperation.
The UK and France have signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal is made with Russia, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced.
Speaking after discussions with Ukraine’s international partners in Paris, Starmer said both countries plan to set up military coordination centres across Ukraine aimed at preventing any future Russian aggression. French President Emmanuel Macron later added that the deployment could involve several thousand soldiers.
Ukraine’s allies broadly supported the idea of strong security guarantees and suggested that the United States would play a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. However, negotiations over territorial matters remain unresolved.
Russia has consistently cautioned that the presence of foreign forces in Ukraine would be considered a legitimate military target.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory.