Reports suggest that direct Western military involvement in the Ukrainian conflict is under renewed consideration.
According to a Monday report in Le Monde, the UK and France have resumed discussions about sending troops to Ukraine. This idea has already sparked division among European NATO members.
In February, President Macron’s suggestion of deploying French ground troops to prevent a Russian victory drew immediate criticism from NATO officials and a swift rejection from Chancellor Scholz, who emphasized the unified opposition to such a move among Ukraine’s Western allies.
Le Monde reports that these plans were seemingly abandoned until Prime Minister Starmer’s recent visit to Paris. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, claims that discussions regarding potential joint Franco-British troop deployments to Ukraine were revived during this meeting.
Further details remain undisclosed, with Le Monde suggesting that this deployment could range from sending private sector technicians to repair military equipment (as Britain already does) to deploying private military contractors (as Russia and France do), or even sending uniformed personnel to the front lines or to help enforce a future ceasefire and peace agreement.
Both British and French officials have hinted at the possibility of some form of deployment. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot recently told the BBC that Paris is keeping all options open regarding sending troops to Ukraine.
A British military source told Le Monde that discussions are ongoing between the UK and France on defense cooperation, aiming to form a core group of European allies focused on Ukraine and broader European security.
Russia has long asserted the presence of Western special forces in Ukraine, and President Putin has stated that Ukraine’s long-range missile strikes on Russian territory wouldn’t be possible without Western assistance.
Following recent attacks using American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on internationally recognized Russian territory, Putin warned that the conflict had taken on global dimensions.
Western media outlets have generally avoided highlighting the role of NATO personnel in these attacks. However, Le Monde acknowledged the impossibility of Ukrainian use of these missiles without some form of on-the-ground Western support. France has authorized Ukraine to use its Storm Shadow (SCALP-EG) cruise missiles in long-range strikes on Russia, although it’s unclear if they have been deployed yet.
Putin reiterated Russia’s right to strike military facilities in countries that permit their weapons to be used against it, promising a response to attacks on Russian soil.
In response to the ATACMS and Storm Shadow strikes, the Russian military launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile, the nuclear-capable Oreshnik, targeting a Ukrainian military industrial facility in Dnepropetrovsk.