Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Kyiv with the military chiefs of France and the United Kingdom to discuss the deployment of foreign military forces in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire agreement.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Progress in Agreements
At a press conference, Zelensky noted that “an understanding of this infrastructure” could be reached within a month, and military meetings will take place weekly to discuss the details of the plan. The head of state emphasized that since the beginning of work on the idea of “security guarantees,” a number of meetings have already been held, and after two months of this work, the teams continue to act actively.
“This does not mean that only three countries (are involved – ed.): Ukraine, France, and Britain – are included in this process. Many other countries – I do not want to mention the number of this coalition yet – will be part of the coalition. I believe the teams need about a month more, we think not longer. And we will be fully ready with an understanding of this infrastructure,” Zelensky said.
Concept of the New Mission
Zelensky also emphasized that this involves the presence of military forces on land, in the air, and at sea, as well as air defense. According to him, “we will meet weekly, every week,” and not at my level, but at the level of our military. Discussions will include many important strategic issues, as well as details of the mandate for the new infrastructure and an understanding of the stages of agreements regarding the contingent.
The military chiefs of France and the United Kingdom will relay Zelensky’s positions to the leaders of their countries and other participants in the progress. In recent weeks, France and Britain have held several summits with European leaders to clarify what security guarantees can be provided to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron noted that the future contingent will not serve as peacekeepers. He characterized these forces as “confidence-building forces,” which some Ukrainian media describe as “deterrent forces.” The lack of a clear definition for this new mission allows countries to avoid the need to obtain Russia’s consent for its implementation.