The Times: The UK and France plan to send up to 15,000 troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement
Illustrative photo
The source reports that the British military command proposed to increase the number of troops to 10,000, but this proposal was rejected by the Ministry of Defense, which deemed it "unstable" given the current size of the country's armed forces, which number about 71,000 trained servicemen, as noted by The Times.
French troops will also be part of this contingent. Currently, only the UK and France have agreed to send their troops to Ukraine after the signing of a peace agreement, which, according to the publication, means that the expected size of the contingent is "significantly smaller than anticipated."
According to several sources, even the plan to send 15,000 troops appears "excessively optimistic." Germany, for its part, has expressed readiness to deploy its forces near Ukraine, possibly on the territory of Poland or Romania, a military source told the publication.
However, the final number of troops to be sent to Ukraine has not yet been agreed upon, and their deployment will depend on various factors, including ceasefire conditions, the newspaper adds, citing a source in the British Ministry of Defense.
On January 6, a meeting took place in Paris between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and participants of the European "coalition of the willing," as well as negotiators from Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Following the meeting, a declaration was signed regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine after the conflict ends. The document was signed by Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The declaration mentioned "multinational forces" that are to ensure security, although their number was not specified.
Related materials:
