Britain and France will send troops to Ukraine after a peace deal is reached in the war with Russia, president Emmanuel Macron has revealed.
A Franco-British delegation will head to Ukraine in the coming days to discuss what Macron calls a ‘reassurance force’ and the future shape of the Ukrainian army.
‘These reassurance forces are a British-French proposition that is desired by Ukraine,’ Macron announced on Thursday. The force will be deployed not to contact lines but instead at ‘strategic areas’.
France and the UK, which are driving the initiative, will forge the reassurance force with several countries. But Ukraine’s European allies did not all agree on the proposed deployment of troops and only some want to take part, Macron stated.
‘It is not unanimous,’ he said. ‘We do not need unanimity to achieve it.’
Sir Keir Starmer added: ‘This is a force designed to deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended – that’s the best description of it.’
The Prime Minister also urged that there must be no easing of sanctions on Russia until the war in Ukraine ends.
He said the ‘coalition of the willing’, which does not include the United States, had agreed there should be no reduction in sanctions on Moscow despite suggestions from the White House such a move would be part of a ceasefire deal.
Britain and France will send troops to Ukraine after a peace deal is reached in the war with Russia. Sir Keir Starmer (pictured today) said: ‘This is a force designed to deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended – that’s the best description of it’
Firefighters try to extinguish the fire that broke out after an attack near the local market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, yesterday
Macron revealed that France and Britain would forge ahead with a ‘reassurance force’ with several countries after wrapping up a summit on strengthening Kyiv‘s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Moscow.
The summit hosting the leaders of nearly 30 countries plus NATO and European Union chiefs comes at a crucial juncture in the more than three-year war, with intensifying diplomatic efforts to broker ceasefires, driven by pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the fighting.But the conflict is raging on.
Before the leaders met in the luxury of the French presidential palace, Russian drone attacks overnight wounded more than 20 people and heavy shelling Thursday afternoon killed one person and knocked out electricity in parts of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said.
US-brokered agreements this week to safeguard shipping in the Black Sea and last week to halt long-range strikes on energy infrastructure were greeted as a first step toward peace. But Ukraine and Russia have disagreed over the details and accused each other of deal violations, foreshadowing a long and contentious process ahead.
France and the UK are pushing a separate initiative to build a coalition of nations willing in one way or another to support the deployment of a European armed force in Ukraine, with the aim of securing any peace deal by dissuading Russia from attacking the country again.
Some European countries are more comfortable with a potential deployment than others – not least because a big unknown is whether Trump would allow American forces and intelligence agencies to back up any European contingent with air and logistical support and other assistance.
Building a force big enough to act as a credible deterrent – UK officials have talked about possibly 10,000 to 30,000 troops – would also be a considerable effort for nations that shrank their militaries after the Cold War but are now rearming.
There would also be questions to resolve about who would command the force and how it might respond to a major violation by Russia of any peace agreement.
Sir Keir’s Office said that military planners from Europe and beyond have been drilling down into details of how such a force might be put together, examining ‘the full range of European military capabilities including aircraft, tanks, troops, intelligence and logistics.’
Sir Keir also accused Vladimir Putin (pictured yesterday) of ‘playing games’ over the peace process, saying there had been ‘absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay’ among those present
British soldiers practice an assault on February 17, 2025, in Smardan, Romania
Sir Keir also accused Vladimir Putin of ‘playing games’ over the peace process, saying there had been ‘absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay’ among those present.
As well as agreeing more support for Ukraine, Sir Keir said there had been ‘complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions.
‘Quite the contrary, what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative, to bring Russia to the table through further pressure from this group of countries.’
Speaking alongside Sir Keir today, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Britain and France for their leadership of the ‘coalition of the willing’ and called for a ‘common voice’ to put pressure on Russia.
He said: ‘I think that Keir almost said all the outcomes which are very important for us, no lifting any kind of sanctions until Russia will stop this war. And I think more pressure on it, more packages of sanctions.’
In a series of tweets, the Ukrainian president added: ‘Lifting sanctions on Russia now would be a disaster for diplomacy. Sanctions are one of the few real tools the world has to pressure Russia into serious talks.
‘What else is out there, apart from sanctions? If sanctions are weakened and Russia breaks the deal, bringing sanctions back will be incredibly slow and difficult.
‘And by then, many will simply stop believing that sanctions actually work.’
Sir Keir, who held one-to-one talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte at the gathering, also presented the group with the outcomes of a series of military planning talks for a possible peacekeeping force.
Officials and defence chiefs have been holding talks at London’s Northwood military headquarters, drawing up a strategy to support Kyiv and deter future aggression from Moscow.
More than 200 military planners from countries across the world met to consider in detail the structure of any future deployment, including proposals for air, sea and land forces.
Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meet at the UK ambassador’s residence following the Ukraine summit in Paris today
‘These reassurance forces are a British-French proposition that is desired by Ukraine,’ Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday
Earlier on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a European peacekeeping force could ‘respond’ if attacked by Russia.
European officials say that under any peace settlement, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian attack would be its own army.
Following Sir Keir’s meeting with Mr Rutte on Thursday morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said the two men had agreed ‘Europe must do everything possible to keep (Ukraine) in the fight and keep up the pressure on Putin’.
They also ‘acknowledged the vital role of the United States in forging a path towards a ceasefire agreement and reiterated that Europe stands ready to support a durable and lasting peace when it comes’.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaking the terms of a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges in negotiating a broader peace.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed Ukrainian drone attacks hit power facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions this week, which Ukraine dismissed as Kremlin disinformation aimed at justifying continued hostilities.
Ukrainian officials have said Moscow is ‘lying’ about observing a ceasefire on energy infrastructure and has carried out eight confirmed hits on power sites.
On Thursday, Zelensky also warned that Russia was preparing ‘new offensives’ against the Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, while ‘dragging out the talks and trying to get the US stuck in endless, pointless discussions about fake ‘conditions’ just to buy time and then try to grab more land.’
Firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv on Thursday
Firefighters putting out a fire following a drone strike in Kharkiv
In the face of enduring pressure from Trump on European nations to increase military spending and rely less on US forces, dating back to his first presidency, the proposed contingent is also seen as a test of Europe’s ability to defend itself and its interests.
Zelensky posted an image from inside the summit of him and other leaders standing together with the caption: ‘Europe knows how to defend itself. We must prove it.’
Macron said Wednesday that the proposed European force could deploy to ‘important towns, strategic bases’ in Ukraine and that it could ‘respond’ to a Russian attack if Moscow launched one.
Macron didn’t specify what sort of response he envisaged. But he suggested that a Russian attack might not go unanswered, even though the European troops wouldn’t be deployed to the front lines.
‘If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would, in fact, be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,’ Macron said.
‘Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.
‘So we are not on the front lines, we don’t go to fight, but we are there to guarantee a lasting peace. It’s a pacifist approach,’ he said. ‘The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression.’
Destruction caused by Russian forces attacks using a FAB-250 bomb equipped with a UMPK guidance kit against civilian population in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Destruction caused by Russian strikes in Kostiantynivka, located in the Donetsk region
The meeting in Paris came as Russia has demanded lifting sanctions to meet its terms for the Black Sea ceasefire. Sanctions imposed by the US and Europe have punished Russia’s economy and limited its access to global markets.
Zelensky accused Moscow of attempting to add conditions to what should be an unconditional agreement.
While the White House said that it would help restore Russia’s access to the world market for fertilizer and farm exports, it didn’t validate Moscow’s conditions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russia’s demands would be evaluated and presented to Trump.
There has been a growing chorus of opposition in Europe to lifting the sanctions, which remain their main leverage against Moscow.
António Costa, the president of the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, said that sanctions are crucial to support Ukraine and reach a lasting peace.
‘This means keeping up the pressure on Russia through sanctions,’ Costa said Thursday.
As ceasefire efforts gather steam, Ukraine’s allies in Europe are working to strengthen Kyiv’s hand militarily.
Their aim is to enable it to keep fighting until any broad peace takes hold and also to turn the Ukrainian army into the first line of defence against any future Russian aggression.
President Donald Trump meets Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office on February 24
Macron announced a new package of defence aid for Ukraine that he said was worth €2billion ($2.15billion) and will include light tanks, air defence and anti-tank missiles and other weaponry and support.
Russian drone attacks overnight wounded at least 18 people in the Kharkiv region and three people in Dnipro, officials said. Shelling in a front-line community in the Zaporizhzhia region knocked out electricity and phone coverage, regional head Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
Zelensky said that the attacks were further evidence that the US and Europe shouldn’t ease sanctions on Moscow.
‘Russia is killing every day and prolonging this war,’ Zelensky said on social media. ‘The American proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table for half a month now.’
Separately, the Ukrainian Army General Staff said that its attack at Engels military airfield in Russia on March 20 had destroyed 96 air-to-air cruise missiles and significant reserves of aviation fuel.
Satellite imagery taken the next day by Maxar Technologies appeared to show damage to ammunition and weapons storage at Engels, the main base for Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers.