Europe discusses sending troops to Ukraine – media

European leaders are discussing the possibility of sending up to 100 thousand troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached or a peace agreement is concluded. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources, on Wednesday, December 18.

It is indicated that the negotiations are led by French President Emmanuel Macron and are at an early stage. At the same time, disagreements have arisen on the possible goals and mandate of such a mission, as well as on the appropriateness of raising this issue at this time.

However, sources say that a European deterrent force in Ukraine could be formed by a coalition of five to eight countries. They may be based on troops from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Great Britain.

Various estimates of the size of such forces are given, as many depend on their mission itself. Some analysts believe that 40 thousand troops are enough.

But according to Franz-Stefan Gadi, an Austrian military planner now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a rotation pattern of pre-deployment preparation and post-deployment coordination could involve up to 100 people in the mission at one time.

“And this will undoubtedly have a strong impact along the European ground forces,” he said.

A European security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said up to 100,000 troops could be needed.

Let’s remember that the newly elected US President Donald Trump believes that if Moscow and Kyiv agree on a ceasefire, then this regime should be controlled by European troops.

In turn, the Kremlin for the first time suggested that European troops could be deployed in Ukraine.