Macron's idea of European forces in Ukraine takes shape, but questions remain - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron, Presidents of Ukraine and France (photo: Getty Images)
The initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the possibility of deploying European troops or a single European country’s forces in Ukraine to prevent further aggression from Russia cannot serve as the sole security guarantee. Many questions remain unresolved, states Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the Associated Press.
According to the Ukrainian President, the proposal from Paris to deploy European forces in Ukraine to deter Russian aggression is taking shape.
However, Zelenskyy also expressed some skepticism about the idea of a security guarantee from Western countries, pointing out that many questions remain regarding the command and administrative structure, the number of troops, and their positions.
The Ukrainian president mentioned that this issue was raised by his French and American counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump.
"I said in the presence of the two leaders that we are interested in this as a part of the security guarantee, but not as the only guarantee of safety," he stated.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that this is not enough.
"Imagine, there is a contingent. The question is who is in charge? Who is the main one? What will they do if there are Russian strikes? Missiles, disembarkation, attack from the sea, crossing of the land borderline, offensive. What will they do? What are their mandates?" Zelenskyy remarked.
When asked by journalists whether he had posed these questions directly to Macron, Zelenskyy mentioned that they are still in the process of this dialogue.
Questions regarding Western peacekeepers in Ukraine
In mid-December, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the issue of deploying soldiers from European countries as peacekeepers in Ukraine with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who at the time stated that Warsaw had no plans for such actions.
In January, Macron and Zelenskyy also discussed potential plans regarding peacekeepers. The Ukrainian president mentioned that one of the effective security guarantees being considered was France's initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine.
Furthermore, during a press conference with the Polish Prime Minister on January 15, Zelenskyy stated that the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces in Ukraine would be discussed with the British Prime Minister, and had already been discussed with Baltic partners.
Recently, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris stated that if Ukraine requests Western countries, including Lithuania, to send troops, Vilnius would consider such a request.
On January 16, during a visit to Kyiv, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that London would play a full role in any peace negotiations concerning Ukraine, including by deploying British forces to support peace efforts.
According to Bloomberg, Europe is currently seeking the participation of US forces among the peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Additionally, RBC-Ukraine had separately covered whether the presence of foreign peacekeeping forces could help end the war with Russia.
