France, along with a number of other countries, could deploy a peacekeeping force in Ukraine even without a consensus among all EU member states. However, such troops must first receive a clear mandate.
This was stated by the Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Studies Bruno Tertrais in an interview with Ukrinform.
“I have no doubt that in the presence of a hypothetical ceasefire agreement, certain European countries, such as France, will be able to send their armed forces,” he noted.
According to him, France was the first country to suggest such a possibility last year.
“We don’t need a consensus in Europe to deploy troops. As long as this is not a NATO or EU mission, we don’t need a consensus. A small number of European countries may well be involved. Paris was the first to say that we can imagine European troops on the ground (in Ukraine). So this is obviously not a problem for France. The question is more about where and for what purpose are European troops required? To help train the Ukrainian Army or to protect the security line? With an international mandate or not,” the geopolitical research expert explained.
He stressed that it is important to prescribe the powers of such a peacekeeping contingent when discussing security guarantees for Ukraine. At the same time, it is currently impossible to assess readiness of individual EU member states to undertake the obligation to defend Ukrainian territory if the ceasefire is violated.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, European leaders are discussing the issue of sending troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire or peace agreement is signed. The effort could require up to 100,000 troops.
Photo: Causeur/Hannah Assouline
Source: France could send peacekeepers to Ukraine but their mandate must be clarified - expert
