UK, Germany and France Ready to Send Troops to Ukraine to Support Truce

France, the UK, Germany, and other European nations are prepared to send troops to Ukraine to help enforce a ceasefire once an agreement is reached with Russia, French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said in an interview with Bloomberg on February 26.

Speaking from Cape Town during a G20 finance ministers' meeting, Lombard emphasized that any European peacekeeping deployment would require backing from the United States—something he claimed Washington had already agreed to.

“If we want a ceasefire to be respected, we need a US backup,” Lombard said. “I believe the Americans have agreed to do that.”

Earlier this week, he and French President Emmanuel Macron visited Washington for high-level talks with US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. While the primary agenda included trade negotiations, Ukraine was also a key topic.

Macron has previously advocated for a stronger European role in ensuring security in Ukraine, though his latest discussions with Washington suggest that US political support for European-led peacekeeping efforts may be materializing.

Lombard did not elaborate on the size or scope of the potential European mission but stressed that ensuring a ceasefire is upheld will require international coordination.

Beyond security matters, the French delegation’s visit to Washington also touched on economic relations, including trade policies, tariffs, and regulatory barriers.

“We discussed all the issues—trade, tariffs, non-tariff barriers,” Lombard said. “We agreed to continue to talk, which is a step forward.”

Earlier, The UK was considering hosting a meeting with European leaders to discuss Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. It would serve as a follow-up to discussions held in Paris last week with French President Emmanuel Macron.