French President Emmanuel Macron is exploring alternatives to his joint peacekeeping mission plan with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, considering the possibility of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine under the United Nations’ auspices.
According to The Telegraph, Macron is contemplating the creation of a mission aimed at protecting a future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Macron and Starmer have been leading efforts to form a “coalition of the determined” for a peacekeeping contingent, with support from the United States. Starmer recently hosted 30 senior military leaders from various European countries and beyond in London to discuss the plan. While they are progressing into the “operational phase,” the number of countries willing to send troops and the full implementation details remain unclear.
Macron raised the possibility of a UN-led peacekeeping mission at an EU summit on Thursday, alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who was in attendance. This comes as Starmer appears to shift focus from European ground forces to securing a peace agreement with Russia, contemplating air and naval support for Ukraine instead.
The Royal Air Force is reportedly in negotiations to have British aircraft patrol Ukrainian airspace, in line with the “coalition of the determined” discussions.
However, any peacekeeping force under the UN would need approval from the Security Council, a challenging task given potential opposition from both Russia and the United States.
Macron also faced pressure this week from Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing forces, who called for “blue helmets” to protect nuclear power plants in Ukraine, provided peace terms exclude NATO troops. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Rally party, has denounced the idea of sending French troops, suggesting that any involvement should be under a UN peacekeeping mandate.
