Russia says French troops sending to Ukraine not on agenda

The question of sending French troops to Ukraine is not currently under consideration, Russia’s ambassador to France, Alexey Meshkov, said on Russia 24 television.

“At this stage, the question of deploying French armed forces to Ukraine is not on the table, because the French understand — we have warned them multiple times — that the presence of foreign armed forces on Ukrainian territory would be regarded by us as a legitimate target,” Meshkov stated.

However, the diplomat noted that the topic continues to appear in rhetoric, raising concerns within French society.

On November 26, Politico reported that the United Kingdom is well prepared for a potential deployment of troops as part of a European “coalition of the willing” to Ukraine. The report also noted that on November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a new joint operational group led by France and the UK, with participation from the US and Turkey, aimed at defining details of Europe’s military support under a potential peace agreement.

Previously, US officials also discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.

By Vugar Khalilov