French President Emmanuel Macron, in a recent interview, stated that the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, as suggested by Britain and France within a ceasefire agreement with Russia, is a matter that Kyiv, not Moscow, will decide.
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Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are moving quickly to strengthen military support for Ukraine while U.S. President Donald Trump calls for a peace agreement with Russia. Starmer hosted an online meeting on Saturday with Macron and other Ukrainian allies, excluding the United States.
Macron said in an interview published late Saturday in several French local newspapers: "A sovereign country. If it asks for the presence of allied forces on its territory, it is not something Russia can accept or reject," as reported by Reuters.
Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine.
Macron emphasized that any peacekeeping force would consist of "several thousand soldiers from each country" to be deployed in key locations, adding that several European and non-European countries are interested in participating.
However, the exact nature of any peacekeeping force remains unclear, as do other aspects of the potential ceasefire.
France and the UK have said they could send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also mentioned his country would be open to fulfilling such a request.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he is generally supportive of the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, but that his forces would continue fighting until several key issues are resolved.
Early on Sunday, officials reported that Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging airstrikes, resulting in casualties and damage.
