Ukrainian, British and French general staff representatives will hold a meeting in Ukraine within a week to discuss the potential deployment of foreign troops to the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 28.
He said that other countries would also participate but did not specify them.
The news came a day after a Paris summit where a number of European countries moved forward with plans to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of a "reassurance force" in case of a ceasefire with Russia.
The initiative is co-led by France and the U.K., which will both send military delegations to Ukraine to discuss the so-called "reassurance force," as well as the future shape of Ukraine's army, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
According to Zelensky, the meeting will be attended by countries that "will be 100% in favor of (a peacekeeping) contingent on the territory of Ukraine."
"Not all of them will come, there will be a narrow circle. France, the U.K., and Ukraine will definitely be there," the president told reporters.
The next meeting will be held at the level of national security advisors soon after, Zelensky said.
In mid-March, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented plans to send 10,000 peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, which is significantly smaller than the 30,000 troops he reportedly pitched to U.S. President Donald Trump during their White House meeting on Feb. 20.
Though Starmer still publicly held out for a coalition deployment to be supported by a U.S. "backstop," Macron said that it could take place "with or without" Washington's involvement.
Natalia Yermak
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