Emmanuel Macron has said that Russia will have no say in whether foreign troops are deployed to Ukraine to ensure a future ceasefire.
France, Britain, and other Nato countries, including Turkey, have expressed their willingness to contribute to a peacekeeping force to protect peace in post-war Ukraine.
“If Ukraine asks allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or not,” Mr Marcon told local press late on Saturday, ahead of another heavy round of aerial attacks between Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of Nato soldiers being stationed in Ukraine, saying such a move would be a major escalation.
Mr Macron clarified that any peacekeeping force would consist of “a few thousand troops per country”, to be deployed at important locations. He added that a number of European and non-European countries were interested in participating.
Emmanuel Macron said a number of European and non-European countries were interested in participating in peacekeeping – KIRAN RIDLEY/AFP/Getty Images
Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, reiterated on Saturday that Australia is open to contributing troops, while Canada has also indicated it would consider such a request.
However, the details of how such a force would be deployed remain unclear.
Alexander Stubb, Finland’s president, said that any firm commitments would only come once there was a clear plan in place.
“There are anywhere from zero to 50 different ways they can help. Boots on the ground is only one way. You can talk about intelligence, you can talk about different types of things but it’s too early to commit right now,” he told the BBC on Saturday.
In a rush to consolidate military support from Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer hosted a virtual meeting on Saturday with a “coalition of the willing” involving 26 nations, including Ukraine.
The Prime Minister revealed that Western military chiefs would meet in London on Thursday to plan for a peacekeeping force that was now entering an “operational phase”.
Sir Keir stressed once again that Britain was ready to play a “leading role” and put “troops on the ground and planes in the sky”. However, sources suggest the group of allies has yet to reach a formal agreement to deploy forces in Ukraine.
Fighting continues
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russian troops continue to rapidly retake territory from Ukraine in Kursk. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, warned that Russia is preparing for a fresh invasion of Ukraine’s north east.
Russian troops are massing across the border from Ukraine’s Sumy region, which borders Kursk, Mr Zelensky said.
Any new incursion or major escalation in fighting would severely rile Washington’s efforts to secure a 30-day truce in Ukraine, a proposal Kyiv has accepted, but which the Kremlin has so far resisted.
Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin claimed in principle that he supported Washington’s ceasefire, but stated that “serious questions” remain, and that his forces would continue fighting until certain conditions were addressed.
“I would like all partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for, and what he will be ignoring,” Mr Zelensky said, accusing Putin of trying to delay a ceasefire to improve his troops’ battlefield position.
He added: “The build-up of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy. It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war,”
