French President Emmanuel Macron discussed sending troops to Ukraine after the end of the war with the leaders of the parliamentary groups, Le Monde reports.
The newspaper specifies that „no one opposed the proposed mechanism“.
A total of about 30 people attended the three-hour meeting, including representatives of parliament and the government. Some participants saw the „coalition of the willing“ as a possible alternative to NATO. However, some expressed caution about the readiness of the US government to intervene in the war if the ceasefire is violated.
„Macron says he has received commitments for security guarantees from the Americans, but at the moment I am "wary of American words," said Jean-Louis Thierio, a member of the parliamentary defense committee.
Macron himself insists that the international forces will be "far from the front." "We will not be on the front line, we are there to control the Ukrainian army," he said.
The leader of "France Insubordinate" in the National Assembly, Mathilde Pannot, said her group would seek a UN mandate to send troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement is signed.
The secretary of the French Communist Party called for the formation of a joint force under the auspices of the United Nations.
The Times previously reported that Britain and France would send significantly fewer troops to Ukraine than expected. If a peaceful agreement, they will send up to 15,000 troops.
Sources told the publication that preliminary estimates suggest fewer than 7,500 British troops will be deployed in Ukraine.
“France is the only other country to have committed to sending troops to Ukraine, and they are expected to make up the rest of the contingent, which will be stationed in the relatively safe west of the country, away from the frontline,“ the “Times“ added.