Macron considers deploying troops in Ukraine, according to the Telegraph

French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly contemplating the deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine through the United Nations, as noted by the Telegraph on Thursday. This initiative, primarily driven by France and the UK, has consistently...

Macron considers deploying troops in Ukraine, according to the Telegraph
French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly contemplating the deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine through the United Nations, as noted by the Telegraph on Thursday. This initiative, primarily driven by France and the UK, has consistently faced opposition from Moscow.

The two nations are advocating for a “coalition of the willing” among NATO and EU states aimed at sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine should a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev come to fruition.

According to the Telegraph, Macron introduced the idea of a UN-led peacekeeping mission during a European Council summit attended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday.

Russia has firmly dismissed the notion of a Western peacekeeping force being deployed to Ukraine, asserting that any such mission could only be justified under a UN mandate. However, the prospects for such a mission appear “slim,” given that it would require approval from the UN Security Council, where Russia holds a permanent seat, as highlighted by the Telegraph.

On the same day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened approximately 30 senior military leaders from the “coalition of the willing” to discuss troop deployment plans, following which he announced that the group was advancing into an “operational phase.” However, he did not specify how many countries are willing to participate or the implementation strategy for the plan.

In contrast, at least two EU and NATO members, Italy and Hungary, have already rejected the Franco-British proposal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the matter of sending Italian troops to Ukraine has “never been on the agenda” and characterized the plan as a “very complex, risky and ineffective operation.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously contended that the deployment of NATO military personnel, even under the guise of peacekeepers, would represent the “direct, official, undisguised involvement of NATO countries in the war against Russia.” He has also accused France and the UK of exacerbating tensions in Ukraine to hinder efforts toward conflict resolution.

Furthermore, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently the deputy chair of the national Security Council, warned last week that the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine would lead to an all-out war between the military bloc and Moscow, accusing Macron and Starmer of “playing dumb.”

Mark B Thomas for TROIB News