A U.K.-France-led “coalition of the willing” is bringing together senior military officers from across the globe to devise a plan for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
France and the U.K. are the only two countries in the coalition that have said they would be willing to send troops, but Canada, Australia, Finland and other European nations are said to be open to being involved, according to the Associated Press (AP). However, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that the coalition is entering its “operational phase.”
As of now, it is not clear exactly how many troops will be on the ground, but according to the AP, officials say it will be between 10,000 and 30,000.
TRUMP, PUTIN AGREE TO BEGIN CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS IN MIDDLE EAST, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
President Donald Trump had separate conversations this week with Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“He reiterated that all must work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace,” a spokesperson for Starmer told Reuters in reference to the call with Trump.
TRUMP HOLDS ‘VERY GOOD’ CALL WITH ZELENSKYY FOLLOWING DEAL WITH PUTIN
Macron also said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who the French leader says “demonstrated courage” in his acceptance of the U.S. deal.
“We must now move forward with all our partners to present a concrete peace plan. A peace plan that provides strong security guarantees for Ukraine. A peace plan that ensures lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe. A peace plan that prevents Russia from attacking again,” Macron wrote in a post on X.
Russia has rejected the idea of troops from NATO nations being based in Ukraine as part of this deal, according to the AP.
Throughout the war, the Kremlin has made clear its stance against Ukraine joining NATO. Earlier this week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reiterated this stance with a Russian paper. Reuters reported that Grushko said the Kremlin demanded an “ironclad” guarantee that Ukraine would not be in NATO.
Trump, who has promised to end the three-year war, also spoke with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said his call with Zelenskyy was “very good,” and added that the two discussed his call with Putin.
“Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” Trump wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt detailed Trump and Putin’s call in a statement. She said that the two agreed the war “needs to end with a lasting peace.” Trump and Putin also apparently discussed the need for improved U.S.-Russian relations.
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