Media learned about Europe's intention to send 100,000 troops to Ukraine
European leaders are discussing the issue of sending 100,000 military personnel to Ukraine in case of a cease-fire and signing a peace agreement. About it on Wednesday, December 18, writes Reuters, citing sources.
"Major European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK, may form the bulk of the force," - said the publication a European official.
The material notes that estimates of the required number of troops for the mission vary from 40,000 to 100,000 people, with the large figure including rotation and training.
The agency specifies that in Europe there is no consensus on the nature of the mission: Italy is in favor of a peacekeeping operation, while France and Ukraine insist on a deterrent force against Russia.
The day before, the deputy speaker of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, said that US President-elect Donald Trump would promote plans to deploy a European military contingent in Ukraine for the sake of transferring the costs of the conflict to Europe. He estimated that the European Union might agree even to the detriment of its own interests.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the eve reiterated the prematurity of discussions on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine as Kiev continues to refuse to negotiate. In her turn, the head of the European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that the EU countries were not discussing such steps.
On 12 December, Reuters quoted its sources as saying that the EU was considering the possibility of creating a coalition to send troops to the Ukrainian territory. The Wall Street Journal wrote at the time that Trump had proposed deploying European military there to monitor the ceasefire.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.
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