France and Poland to Discuss Deployment of Peacekeeping Forces in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Warsaw tomorrow to discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, among other things, the deployment of a post-war peacekeeping force in Ukraine, POLITICO reports, citing an EU diplomat and a French official.

‘It's true,’ the EU diplomat confirmed when asked about a Polish media report in the Rzeczpospolita newspaper that claimed the two countries had discussed a potential peacekeeping force of 40,000 foreign troops. The diplomat did not specify which countries the troops might come from. 

The meeting between the two EU leaders comes amid growing fears that the new Donald Trump administration will force Europeans to take on more costs and military responsibilities in Ukraine.

The proposal for a peacekeeping force differs from Macron's earlier idea to send military trainers to Ukraine during the ongoing war.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced such a plan for a peacekeeping force during a meeting with Friedrich Merz, the likely next German Chancellor. 

‘I will tell you frankly, we can think and work on the position of Emmanuel [Macron],’ Zelenskyy told reporters. ‘You remember, he proposed that... troops of a country should be present in some territories of Ukraine, which would guarantee our security while Ukraine is not in NATO.’