Reports suggest the French President is exploring the possibility of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine through the UN.
According to a Telegraph report on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron is exploring the possibility of using the United Nations to deploy European troops to Ukraine. This plan, reportedly spearheaded by Paris and London, has consistently faced opposition from Moscow.
France and the UK are reportedly advocating for a “coalition of the willing” among NATO and EU nations to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine, contingent on a potential peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
The Telegraph reports that during a recent European Council summit, attended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Macron brought up the idea of a UN-led peacekeeping mission.
Russia has consistently rejected the idea of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine, stating that a UN mandate would be the only possible justification for such a mission. However, the Telegraph suggests that the chances of this happening “appear to be slim,” given Russia’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council and its power to veto any such resolution.
Also on Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted approximately 30 high-ranking military officials from the “coalition of the willing” to discuss plans for troop deployment. Following the meeting, he announced that the group was entering an “operational phase,” without specifying which countries had agreed to participate or how the plan would be implemented.
Italy and Hungary, both EU and NATO members, have reportedly already dismissed the Franco-British proposal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that sending Italian troops to Ukraine has “never been on the agenda,” describing the plan as a “very complex, risky and ineffective operation.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously asserted that the deployment of NATO military personnel, even if presented as peacekeepers, would constitute “direct, official, undisguised involvement of NATO countries in the war against Russia.” He has also accused France and the UK of attempting to escalate tensions in Ukraine, thereby hindering efforts to resolve the conflict.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, warned last week that deploying NATO forces to Ukraine would lead to a full-scale war between NATO and Moscow. He also accused Macron and Starmer of “playing dumb.”
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