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Britain and France will send 15,000 troops to Ukraine, The Times
Great Britain and France are planning to send up to 15,000 troops to Ukraine to provide protection in the event that a peace agreement is reached. This number is significantly lower than expected.
According to The Times.
Which countries will send soldiers to Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached, and how many?
Initially, British military leaders proposed sending 10,000 soldiers as part of a larger "Coalition of the willing" of 64,000 personnel. However, the Ministry of Defense deemed this impractical, given the current size of the British Army.
For this reason, fewer than 7,500 British soldiers are expected to be deployed in Ukraine. According to two military sources, even this number will be challenging for Britain, which only has around 71,000 trained soldiers in its regular army.
France is another country that has pledged to send soldiers to Ukraine. It is expected to provide the remainder of the contingent, bringing the total number to around 15,000. The soldiers will be stationed in the relatively safe western part of the country, far from the front line.
Several sources from The Times suggested that the estimated total of 15,000 troops is optimistic. A military source added that Germany is prepared to deploy troops near Ukraine, possibly in Poland or Romania.
A diplomatic source clarified that the number of troops would depend on the outcome of the peace negotiations.
According to the plan, British and French troops will train the Ukrainian army and monitor the construction of "protected facilities" to store weapons and military equipment that could support Ukraine's defense.
A statement signed by members of the "Coalition of the Willing" in Paris said that the United States would lead the high-tech monitoring of the ceasefire line if a peace agreement is reached.
The publication states, that high-ranking Ministry of Defense officials believe that President Putin will not violate the ceasefire agreement reached by President Trump amid concerns about retaliatory measures from the U.S. president.
Turning back to the topic of Western troops in Ukraine, a military source said that countries on NATO's eastern flank "hesitate to deploy troops because it would weaken their border defense."
Some countries are particularly concerned about a potential Russian invasion of countries like Latvia if coalition troops are concentrated in Ukraine.
Additionally, it is unclear what would happen if Russia tested the "Coalition of the Willing" in combat.
"If the threat level increases and we retreat, what's the point? This won't calm anyone down," said the source.
They also mentioned what would happen if Ukraine violated the ceasefire. According to the source, the coalition will not deploy troops until it receives clearer answers to these questions.
A source in the British Ministry of Defense said that the number of troops has not yet been agreed upon. According to the source, deployment will depend on many factors, including the conditions of the ceasefire.
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