UK, France seek to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position - Bloomberg
The UK and France are trying to strengthen Ukraine's position in the negotiations, while US President Donald Trump is seeking to resolve the war with Russia.
According to Censor.NET, Bloomberg writes about this.
It is noted that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are discussing a plan to deploy troops in Ukraine to guarantee Kyiv's security. At the same time, the Kremlin is demanding that the Ukrainian army be significantly reduced as part of any settlement.
On Wednesday, the defence ministers of five leading European countries met in Paris and agreed to support Ukraine amid changes in US policy.
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu stressed the need to develop European space technologies and reduce dependence on Starlink. His German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, welcomed the US decision to continue military aid to Ukraine, noting that Europe is ready to compensate for some services, particularly in the communications sector.
Starmer and Macron are also discussing the creation of an international coalition of 37 countries to support Ukraine. If a peace agreement is reached, the states of Europe, the Commonwealth and Asia will provide funding, military forces, aircraft or ships to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression.
On Tuesday allies that are not NATO members, including Australia, Japan and New Zealand, held a separate meeting with the chiefs of staff of dozens of European countries and Canada. The concept of a ‘guarantee force’ was presented as an important element of Ukraine's security.
British officials stressed that any attempts by Russia to block NATO's participation in this process are an attempt to disrupt the prospects for a stable peace. Each state should determine what kind of assistance it is ready to provide to the coalition. Countries that do not plan to send troops to Ukraine can deploy them in neighbouring countries, as well as provide naval and air support, tanks and intelligence.
According to military experts, the deployment of European forces in Ukraine is an important component of a long-term peaceful settlement. However, Russia categorically objects to the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that any presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory would be seen as a threat to Russia.
In the coming days, the military leadership will present detailed options for the deployment of peacekeeping forces for consideration by Starmer and Macron. These proposals will also be discussed with other world leaders during a planned video meeting.
The results will be presented to US President Donald Trump. The allies hope to persuade Washington to commit to aerial reconnaissance and border protection without the involvement of the US military. Ben Barry, an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that US participation in the peacekeeping mission would significantly increase the level of intelligence and protection against ballistic missiles.
Britain and France oppose concessions to the Kremlin's demands for Ukraine's demilitarisation and elections before a peace deal is reached. On Wednesday, Starmer also stressed the need to return Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia.
At the same time, there are concerns that Moscow could use the ceasefire to regroup its forces and prepare a new offensive against Ukraine.
