France’s President Emmanuel Macron has announced a joint French-British mission to Ukraine. The two countries will be sending military delegations to Ukraine to work closely with Ukrainian partners.
Macron stated that both countries will be instructing their defense chiefs to ensure the dispatch of a French-British team to Ukraine, which will work very closely with their Ukrainian partners in the coming days.
The plans will focus on preparing the format of Ukraine’s armed forces. The French President also explained that European foreign ministers have three weeks to develop plans for monitoring a future ceasefire.
Macron further stated that Europe will be sending troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, with or without the United States.
He emphasized that while Washington remains a “reliable ally” the security of a future peace cannot rely solely on the US.
The President said that troops from “several member states” will be stationed in “strategic areas” and not along the front lines, but noted that not all European state and government leaders are in agreement on this.
In Paris, a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” is taking place, with representatives from around 30 states, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to discuss further support for Ukraine, with topics including potential security guarantees if a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine.