French defence minister rejects calls for Ukraine's demilitarisation

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said that France would “refuse any demilitarisation of the Ukrainian army,” considering it an important part of any future security architecture.

During the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum underway in Paris on March 11, attended by over 30 army chiefs for talks on what Europe and the West can offer in support of Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia, Lecornu said more planning was needed to back any potential ceasefire in Ukraine, knowing that Russia has a history of not respecting similar arrangements, Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media.

He said Europe was facing "a new period” in its history, distinctively different from both the cold war and “the period of peace dividends,” with multiple global powers fighting for influence.

In a pointed reference to the new US administration, Lecornu said that today’s discussions will look at how NATO and the west could defend the eastern flank “if tomorrow the contributions of certain countries – or one country in particular – were to decrease” their presence.

In March 2025, the Kremlin acknowledged that both Russia and the United States view the draft accords from the March 2022 Istanbul talks as a potential foundation for a Ukraine peace agreement. These accords required Ukraine to abandon its NATO aspirations and adopt a neutral, non-nuclear stance, effectively leading to its demilitarization. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected these terms, equating them to a surrender.

Additionally, current peace negotiations involve discussions about Ukraine's potential concessions to Russia, with demilitarization being a focal point. These talks aim to explore avenues for ending the ongoing conflict, but Ukraine remains firm in its stance against demilitarization, viewing it as detrimental to its sovereignty and security.

By Khagan Isayev