UK and France Reported to Be in Secret Talks About Sending Troops to Ukraine, According to Telegraph
London is said to be hesitant about Paris’s proposal to deploy “peacekeepers” to oversee a potential ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
According to government sources, London appears to be cautious about the prospect of sending troops to Ukraine.
The Telegraph reported, citing anonymous sources, that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have engaged in discussions regarding the deployment of soldiers as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The notion was first raised by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, who mentioned he would address it with Starmer during his upcoming visit to Kiev. However, the Telegraph noted that Starmer has not yet fully embraced the idea.
“There are challenges over what we could support, what would we want to support, and the broader question about the threat that those troops may be under and whether that is escalatory,” a Whitehall source told the Telegraph on Wednesday evening.
While representatives from 10 Downing Street and the Elysee Palace did not deny the conversation took place at the Chequers estate last week, they refrained from providing any specifics.
Starmer visited Kiev on Thursday, where he pledged to establish a “100-year partnership” agreement with Ukraine.
A potential plan that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may introduce after taking office next Monday includes the deployment of Western troops as peacekeepers along a demilitarized zone between Russia and Ukraine, which is thought to follow the current line of conflict. Sources suggest that these would be “European” troops acting independently of NATO, with no U.S. forces involved, although these reports remain unverified.
Macron reportedly introduced the concept of “European” peacekeepers to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk last month, but Warsaw has stated it is “not planning any such actions.”
Earlier this week, Zelensky indicated on social media that he had talked with “key allies” about the “practical steps” necessary for implementing the peacekeeping proposal.
“We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves. We are not there yet,” a British official commented to the Telegraph.
The idea of deploying troops in Ukraine has received backing from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as from former Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt and two former defense ministers, Grant Shapps and Gavin Williamson.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has provided £12.8 billion in military and civilian aid to Ukraine, and has trained approximately 50,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the British government’s ongoing support for Kiev indicates that London “clearly does not seek to resolve the conflict,” accusing the UK of “doing everything possible to make it drag on, thus prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
The Telegraph reported, citing anonymous sources, that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have engaged in discussions regarding the deployment of soldiers as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The notion was first raised by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, who mentioned he would address it with Starmer during his upcoming visit to Kiev. However, the Telegraph noted that Starmer has not yet fully embraced the idea.
“There are challenges over what we could support, what would we want to support, and the broader question about the threat that those troops may be under and whether that is escalatory,” a Whitehall source told the Telegraph on Wednesday evening.
While representatives from 10 Downing Street and the Elysee Palace did not deny the conversation took place at the Chequers estate last week, they refrained from providing any specifics.
Starmer visited Kiev on Thursday, where he pledged to establish a “100-year partnership” agreement with Ukraine.
A potential plan that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may introduce after taking office next Monday includes the deployment of Western troops as peacekeepers along a demilitarized zone between Russia and Ukraine, which is thought to follow the current line of conflict. Sources suggest that these would be “European” troops acting independently of NATO, with no U.S. forces involved, although these reports remain unverified.
Macron reportedly introduced the concept of “European” peacekeepers to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk last month, but Warsaw has stated it is “not planning any such actions.”
Earlier this week, Zelensky indicated on social media that he had talked with “key allies” about the “practical steps” necessary for implementing the peacekeeping proposal.
“We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves. We are not there yet,” a British official commented to the Telegraph.
The idea of deploying troops in Ukraine has received backing from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as from former Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt and two former defense ministers, Grant Shapps and Gavin Williamson.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has provided £12.8 billion in military and civilian aid to Ukraine, and has trained approximately 50,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the British government’s ongoing support for Kiev indicates that London “clearly does not seek to resolve the conflict,” accusing the UK of “doing everything possible to make it drag on, thus prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
