French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have begun discussions about deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement.
According to The Telegraph, citing senior sources within the British government, the details of these negotiations remain confidential, and Starmer has not yet granted final approval for British troop participation in the peacekeeping mission.
One source highlighted unresolved concerns, such as “the threats to which these troops might be exposed and whether this would escalate the conflict.”
Earlier, two former UK defence ministers, Grant Shapps (2023–2024) and Gavin Williamson (2017–2019), urged the government to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. Williamson stated, “It is extremely important to support Kyiv’s security through trusted partners such as NATO or the UK.”
France, meanwhile, has conducted troop deployment exercises in Ukraine, including scenarios to repel a potential Russian attack from Belarus, as reported by Intelligence Online.
In mid-January, Macron discussed the peacekeeping force with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky described such a step as “one of the best tools to force Russia to peace.”
Macron first proposed the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine in February 2023. Since then, European countries have been considering this option to oversee a ceasefire if hostilities cease.
According to The Wall Street Journal, US President-elect Donald Trump has also expressed interest in this solution. However, during his meeting with Zelensky and Macron in Paris, Trump emphasized that the US military would not participate in the peace mission, stating that the responsibility to support and protect Ukraine lies primarily with Europe.
It was later revealed that European countries are engaged in concrete negotiations with Russia regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a cessation or freeze in the conflict.
As reported by Reuters, such a mission is expected to consist of at least 40,000 troops, with Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Poland forming the core of the operation.
