Ukraine, France and the UK agree on the deployment of a multinational force
The United Kingdom and France are currently considering sending up to 15,000 troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement. This is significantly less than the initial plans of the so-called "coalition of the willing", which envisaged the deployment of about 64,000 combined forces. According to The Times.
Previously, London allowed for the possibility of up to 10,000 British troops, but given the limited resources and potential of the army, this scenario is now considered unlikely. According to military sources, the UK's real contribution could be less than 7,500, which is already a significant burden for regular forces, which number approximately 71,000 trained soldiers.
France is currently the only country, apart from the UK, that has openly declared its readiness to send its troops directly to Ukraine. According to preliminary plans, French troops could be deployed in the western regions of the country, at a considerable distance from the front line.
At the same time, Germany is considering an alternative approach - the deployment of military units near Ukraine, in particular in Poland or Romania. This format will allow Berlin to contribute to security without deploying troops directly on Ukrainian territory.
The size and nature of the mission is expected to depend on the progress of peace talks. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously said that several thousand French troops could be sent to Ukraine as a so-called «pacification force».
According to The Times, the British and French military plan to focus primarily on training the Ukrainian defence forces, as well as on overseeing the creation of secure facilities for storing weapons and military equipment needed to maintain Ukraine's defence capabilities.
British defence circles also suggest that Russia is unlikely to dare to violate the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, given Washington's possible reaction.
On 6 January, during the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, Ukraine, France and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of intent to deploy multinational forces in Ukraine after the war. Subsequently, the Office of the President of Ukraine released the text of the document, which concerns future security guarantees.
A number of countries have already expressed their readiness to support Ukraine after the end of hostilities. In particular, Belgium has promised to provide air and naval forces to ensure peace, and Sweden has declared its readiness to provide Ukraine with Gripen fighter jets and resources for demining the Black Sea after signing a peace agreement with Russia.
At the same time, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" in Paris, ruled out the possibility of sending Italian troops to the multinational forces in Ukraine after the war.
