Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

France and the United Kingdom have not yet agreed on the details of a possible deployment of a Western contingent in Ukraine following a ceasefire, and emphasise that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will play a leading role in ensuring security.

Source: French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a meeting with journalists in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda correspondent

Details: After the summit of the “coalition of the willing” in Kyiv, Macron and Starmer acknowledged that there is no agreement on the parameters, size, or location of the Western contingent.

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Quote from Macron: “Discussions are ongoing among all partners, led by France and the UK. Can I announce the result? Not at the moment. We are working on options, and the decision also depends on what Russia’s response will be. When it comes, we will work on the most effective proposal.”

Details: He reiterated that the option of sending troops from France, the UK and a number of other countries to Ukraine is being considered: “Indeed, the deterrence force is an option. But everything will depend on the course of the discussion between Ukraine and Russia.”

Quote from Starmer: “Looking at the contingent in relation to the air, to the sea and to land. Obviously there is a degree of optionality about it because we haven’t yet got to a ceasefire.”

Details: Starmer said he believes the contingent is an indispensable and very important component of the peace agreement.

“Unless there is a contingent behind a deal, Putin is likely to breach it. There have been deals in the past that he has not honoured. And Ukraine needs not just a peace but a lasting peace. Not a peace that is temporary, not a peace that lasts a few months or a few years, but a lasting peace,” the UK Prime Minister said.

Both politicians stressed that the Western contingent would not be the main guarantee of security.

“The guarantees will be built in several tiers. The first tier of defence is the Ukrainian army itself. And the second tier is deterrence, the contingent,” Macron said.

“We need to strengthen the Ukrainian army so that it is an element of deterrence,” Starmer supported him.

Background:

  • Following the coalition summit on 10 May, it became known that the EU and the US had agreed to sharply increase sanctions against Russia if it refused the ceasefire. Starmer also announced the West’s agreement not to ease sanctions against Russia “to the end”.

  • In a conversation with journalists, Zelenskyy spoke against Kellogg’s idea of a demilitarised zone on the demarcation line with Russia.

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