France and UK discuss possible sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine – The Telegraph
Photo: Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are discussing the possibility of deploying their countries' military personnel to Ukraine as a peacekeeping contingent. Paris and London are considering this scenario in light of a potential agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to cease hostilities, The Telegraph reports.
Western peacekeepers are anticipated to act as security guarantors for Ukraine in the event of ceasefire agreements with Russia.
This is one of the ideas "increasingly discussed not only in public debates but also behind closed doors in Westminster" (within the UK government), The Telegraph notes.
The French President supports this idea and has already discussed it with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The UK media resource points out that the press spokesmen from Downing Street and the Elysee Palace had not denied that Starmer and Macron discussed this possibility during their meeting last week.
At the same time, officials in London and Paris keep the details of these talks confidential. However, according to The Telegraph, numerous credible government sources in the UK emphasize that Starmer is not yet fully signed up.
One source in Whitehall told The Telegraph that there are open questions regarding the potential threat to the peacekeeping contingent and whether this might lead to escalation.
Possible deployment scenarios for peacekeepers
Despite ongoing discussions, there remains significant uncertainty about this prospect. For instance, it is unclear where a "buffer" zone between Ukraine's defense forces and Russian troops might be established or where Western peacekeepers could hypothetically be stationed to protect Ukraine from future Russian attacks.
A government source in London told the British media that the UK had not yet formally approved the proposal to participate in a peacekeeping contingent.
Nevertheless, The Telegraph outlined three theoretical scenarios for how British and other countries' troops might be deployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine.
The first scenario involves freezing the frontline in Ukraine, with Russia retaining control over temporarily occupied territories in the east and south of the country.
How the UK could participate in a potential peacekeeping operation if Ukraine and Russia reach an agreement to end the war (photo: telegraph.co.uk)
The second scenario considers Western troops protecting Kyiv. The third scenario proposes creating an "air shield" over Poland while simultaneously training Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers within Ukraine.
Various scenarios are being considered regarding Western peacekeepers (photo: telegraph.co.uk)
Discussions on peacekeepers in Ukraine
In mid-December, Macron discussed the deployment of European troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine with Polish Prime Minister Tusk, who stated at the time that Warsaw "does not plan any such actions."
Earlier this week, Macron and Zelenskyy also talked about potential peacekeeping plans.
The Ukrainian President said that one of the effective security guarantees being discussed is France's initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine. Zelenskyy added that the parties "reviewed practical steps for its implementation, potential expansion, and the involvement of other countries in these efforts."
In addition, on January 15, during a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Zelenskyy said the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces in Ukraine would be discussed with the UK Prime Minister and had already been discussed with Baltic partners.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budryis stated that if Ukraine requests Western countries, including Lithuania, to send troops, Vilnius will consider this appeal.
RBC-Ukraine previously published an article analyzing whether a foreign contingent could help end the war with Russia.
