French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on December 12 to discuss the potential deployment of postwar peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
This was reported by POLITICO, citing an EU diplomat and a French official.
“It is true,” an EU diplomat confirmed when asked about a report in the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita that claimed the two countries are discussing a potential 40,000-strong peacekeeping force made up of foreign troops. The diplomat did not specify which nations might contribute soldiers.
The newspaper spoke with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, asking whether Kyiv would be open to the deployment of foreign troops on its territory.
“Ukraine is ready to speak about whatever works,” she said.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemingly hinted at such a plan during his meeting with Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor.
“I'll tell you frankly, we can think and work on Emmanuel [Macron]'s position,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “Do you remember, he proposed that … troops of this or that country be present in some territories of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in NATO.”
Previously, on December 9, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is willing to consider French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to deploy French peacekeepers on its territory, but only if a clear timeline for NATO accession is provided.
