International contingent in Ukraine would change Europe’s security architecture, says French general

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by retired Major General Michel Yakovleff, former Deputy Chief of Staff of NATO’s Rapid Response Forces.

“Guarantee forces will be deployed in Ukraine, which are combat forces ready to take part in the fight this time if the Russians start acting again. As was the case in South Korea. And this, I dare say, makes the concept of Ukraine and NATO obsolete. The real guarantee is the presence of soldiers on the ground, ready to fight, with armored vehicles and artillery,” he stressed.

The general believes that this will have enormous consequences for Europe and NATO.

“Because this is a real operation, potentially a military operation, which will be outside American command. Therefore, Europeans will have to create an appropriate command structure. We will look for generals and officers, we will take people from NATO to create our European headquarters. And since it will not be controlled by the Americans, they will not be able to say ‘no’. We will make decisions among ourselves. So Trump, thanks to his specific approaches, will succeed in creating a European defense identity,” Yakovleff explained.

In his opinion, these forces could change the concept of “strategic security” in Europe in a few years. And now France is working very hard to create this coalition in order to bring in more partners.

“At the moment, the problem the French have with others is that others say, ‘Yes, but will the Americans come?’. And the French tell them that this is not the right way of thinking. What you need to think is, ‘If I go [to Ukraine], what will I bring?’. And then you look at what is missing, and if necessary, you turn to the Americans. So now the problem for the French is that Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom still do not understand that only they can make this decision. This is a French problem, but it will evolve,” he stressed.

According to the general, the number of countries participating in the Security Assurance Forces will grow, including those countries that are currently opposed.

As reported by Ukrinform, on March 15, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed plans for a “Western peacekeeping force” for Ukraine with more than 10,000 troops at a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

Subsequently, the media reported that Britain is likely to abandon plans to send thousands of troops to defend Ukraine because the risks are considered “too high.” At the same time, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Warsaw would not send its military contingent as part of a possible peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, but would provide support.

In May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that achieving a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine remains the goal of Kyiv and its partners, and that there are currently no negotiations on sending international troops, as it is impossible to predict what security guarantees will be needed in the future.

Photo: personal archive of Michel Yakovleff