European troops in Ukraine: Zelenskyy on possible arrival and duties

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considers the presence of European troops in Ukraine — primarily from France and the United Kingdom — to be a mandatory element of security guarantees.

He said this while speaking to journalists at a briefing.

The Ukrainian president noted that not all countries that are part of the so-called “coalition of the willing” are able to send troops to Ukraine, as in some cases this is constitutionally prohibited or requires ratification by national parliaments.

“Britain and France are chairing [the coalition of the willing], and their military presence is mandatory,” Zelenskyy stressed.

At the same time, the president said there was currently no final text of a security guarantees agreement that would form part of a peace deal, adding that the format and scale of any military presence had yet to be defined.

Zelenskyy added that troops from European countries could be involved in monitoring a ceasefire, supporting Ukraine’s armed forces with weapons, technology and intelligence, and conducting training missions. Overall, they could provide multi-vector security guarantees — on land, at sea and in the air.

The president said the deployment of troops from the “coalition of the willing” should begin immediately after a ceasefire takes effect.

He promised that most details regarding the presence of European troops would be made public, with the exception of sensitive aspects related to intelligence work.