Ukraine Defense Minister details possible foreign troop deployment and no-fly zone strategy
Photo: Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal (MinistryofDefence.UA)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said that if a peace agreement is reached, Britain and European countries will have to deploy their troops on Ukrainian territory and be ready to repel possible attacks by Russia, The Times reports.
According to the Minister, troops should be stationed at training camps and headquarters in Ukrainian cities so that they can respond immediately.
He compared this model to the principle of Article 5 of NATO, whereby an attack on one country is considered an attack on all allies.
At the same time, there are doubts as to whether European troops will be given the authority to strike back or will simply retreat in the event of a Russian attack.
Shmyhal also mentioned the topic of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, noting that it could be monitored by American and other allied aircraft, and the front line would be controlled by drones and surveillance equipment to track violations of the peace.
Ukraine's Defense Minister said that five countries have already agreed to deploy soldiers to Ukraine and stressed the need to fund the armed forces so that they remain in position and are ready for combat.
Ukraine's key priority is to ensure that it has sufficient numbers of equipped and ready personnel in case Russia violates the peace agreement.
Sending foreign troops to Ukraine
Initially, the leaders of Ukraine, the US, France, Finland, Germany, the UK, Italy, as well as the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of NATO held a meeting at the White House, where they discussed security guarantees for Ukraine.
In particular, they discussed possible guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5, without Ukraine's membership in the Alliance. Later, French President Emmanuel Macron invited the participants of that meeting to a summit in Paris for further negotiations.
Following the meeting, Macron stated that 26 countries agreed to send troops to Ukraine to provide support for Ukrainian territory the day after the ceasefire or the establishment of peace.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there is already a preliminary understanding regarding the number of soldiers, and their presence will cover the sky, sea, and land.
The media reported that the countries of the Coalition of the Willing were divided on security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular on the deployment of troops on its territory.
Thus, one group of countries, including Britain, is ready to deploy troops in Ukraine, another, such as Italy, is against it, and the majority, including Germany, has not yet decided.
