The European peacekeeping contingent will not arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks; this will only happen after a peace agreement is signed.
This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro. According to him, if a ceasefire is achieved, it will be very difficult to verify that the front line is being respected. Therefore, France and the UK are prepared to deploy troops only at the next stage:
"In the coming weeks, there will be no European troops on Ukrainian soil. The question is how we use this time to try to achieve a viable ceasefire, negotiations that will last several weeks, and then, after the peace is signed, the deployment of [troops]."
The French president emphasized that Europe desires peace, but not at any cost – particularly when Ukraine lacks security guarantees.
Deployment of European Troops to Ukraine
As is known, the UK and France have expressed their readiness to send their troops to Ukraine to support peacekeeping efforts. Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned that this includes both ground forces and aviation.
French Finance Minister Eric Lombard also noted that the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries are prepared to send troops to ensure compliance with the ceasefire in Ukraine.