PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron has fleshed out some possible missions that could be undertaken by a military support force for Ukraine that Paris and London are work-ing to put ...
together with other nations, in a so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' that could deploy after any ceasefire with Russia.
Speaking to French media ahead of an online summit that the UK hosted on Saturday, Macron said the French-British blueprint doesn't aim to deploy a "mass" of soldiers in Ukraine and instead, envisages stationing troop contingents in key locations.
Macron's office said on Sunday that it couldn't provide a recording of the French leader's exchange with reporters from regional French newspapers on Friday night.
But according to La Dépêche du Midi and Le Parisien, the French president spoke of participating nations each deploying several thousand troops to "key points" in Ukraine. Their missions could include providing training and supporting Ukrainian defences, to demonstrate long-term support for Kyiv, the reports quoted Macron as saying.
Macron added that the proposed contingents from countries that are members of the NATO alliance would serve as "a guarantee of security" for Ukraine, and that "several European nations, and also non-European, have expressed their willingness to join such an effort when it is confirmed," La Dépêche reported. (The Gleaner/AP)
