About 10 countries would be ready to send their troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees after a peace agreement, Bloomberg writes, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
"On Tuesday, European representatives discussed plans to send British and French troops to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement, including the size and location of the forces, according to people familiar with the matter," the agency reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday after a summit in Washington that European armed forces should participate in peacekeeping operations in Ukraine after the end of hostilities.
The Russian side consistently rejects the idea of deploying Western troops on Ukrainian territory.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said earlier that Washington is considering air support as an option within the framework of security guarantees for Ukraine. According to her, Donald Trump understands that security guarantees are "critically important to ensuring lasting peace".
"He has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and to continue to engage and discuss these issues with Ukraine and Russia", she said, adding that while Trump has ruled out sending US troops, Washington "can help coordinate and possibly provide other security options".
As Bloomberg notes, the security package for Ukraine is expected to be formed as early as this week, as European leaders seek to strengthen Kiev's position ahead of a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.