Ukraine Conflict Update +++ 23:18 - Macron Advocates for Troops Deployment in Ukraine
France's President Macron emphasizes the importance of military presence in Ukraine.
France is considering partnering with allies to station soldiers in Ukraine to aid their fight against Russia. President Emmanuel Macron told French newspaper Le Parisien, "The crucial thing is to have soldiers in Ukraine". Top military officials of Britain, France, and Ukraine have already exchanged their thoughts on the matter. Macron added, "All this is becoming clearer and is making progress", without elaborating further.
During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merkel, Starmer, and Tusk, Zelensky dismissed the idea of a proposed demilitarized zone. This contradicts statements from US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. In an interview with Fox News, Kellogg suggested that Ukraine had proposed the creation of a jointly controlled demilitarized zone with Russia. However, speaking with European online newspaper European Pravda, Zelensky indicated that Ukraine is not advocating for a demilitarized zone, stating, "Everyone is looking for ways to experiment on us".
Later in the day, Macron, Merz, and Starmer paid their respects to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at the Memorial Wall for fallen defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv.
Insight - Coalition of the Willing
The latest move stems from the "Coalition of the Willing", an alliance between France and the United Kingdom supported by several other European countries like Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, with one undisclosed state. Actively working on a proposal to assemble a military contingent, the coalition hopes to deploy troops in Ukraine following a ceasefire or peace agreement. The leaders of this group recently visited Kyiv to discuss security guarantees and push for a 30-day truce to precede any deployment of peacekeeping forces [1]. However, the deployment of a European reassurance force in the short term remains uncertain due to ongoing hostilities, Russian aggression, and geopolitical complexities involving the US [3].
- Keywords: Ukraine Conflict, Military Deployments, Russian Aggression, Ceasefire, Peacekeeping Forces, Coalition of the Willing.
Sources:
- Euractiv (1)
- European Pravda (2)
- Deutsche Welle (3)
- Bild (4)
- The propositions for military deployments in Ukraine are part of the "Coalition of the Willing," an alliance including France, the United Kingdom, and several other European countries like Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and an undisclosed state.
- President Emmanuel Macron, in his conversation with French newspaper Le Parisien, stressed the importance of having soldiers in Ukraine, with military officials of Britain, France, and Ukraine already discussing the idea.
- While the US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, suggested that Ukraine had proposed a jointly controlled demilitarized zone with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied this, stating that Ukraine is not advocating for a demilitarized zone.
- During a visit to Kyiv, Macron, Merz, and Starmer paid their respects to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at the Memorial Wall for fallen defenders of Ukraine, alongside discussions on security guarantees and pushing for a 30-day truce preceding any deployment of peacekeeping forces.
