President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Photo: Depositphotos
28 March, Kyiv – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the preparation of an urgent meeting at the level of representatives of the General Staffs in Ukraine to discuss the future deployment of an international military contingent.
The head of state said this at a briefing for journalists on Thursday, reports Evropeiska Pravda.
According to Zelenskyy, the agreement on this meeting was reached the day before in Paris during the summit of the so-called “Coalition of the Resolute”, an informal alliance of countries discussing possible support for Ukraine in new formats, including a military presence on its territory.
“We have agreed to hold a meeting in Ukraine in a narrow circle of representatives of the general staffs… of the main countries that will be 100% ready for a contingent on the territory of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
The President did not name all the participants, but confirmed the participation of representatives of France, the UK and Ukraine. During the meeting, the parties are to assess Ukrainian infrastructure, discuss a common vision for the presence of the contingent, and prepare the ground for further political and security decisions.
“We agreed that after this, there will be a meeting at the level of national security advisers, not at the level of the military. And everything will continue with a final meeting on security guarantees,” the Head of State added.
As previously reported, the “Coalition of the Resolute” led by France and the United Kingdom is working on an initiative to send thousands of troops to Ukraine to ensure that the terms of a potential ceasefire are respected in the future.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the foreign ministers of the participating countries are already working on legal mechanisms to establish an international monitoring and security mission.
Ukraine, in turn, is counting on concrete steps from its partners and a balanced action plan that will ensure stability and deter new threats after the end of hostilities.
