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France and UK to send ‘joint team’ to Ukraine

27 March 2025 19:30 (UTC +04:00)

Paris and London announced they will send a "joint team" to Kyiv within three weeks to explore the structure of a future "reassurance force" for the country, APA reports citing Euractiv.

French President Emmanuel Macron had planned to use Thursday's talks to develop his idea of a potential “reassurance force” once there is a ceasefire agreement, which would foresee some contingent of European 'boots on the ground'.

But speaking to reporters after the talks, Macron said there was still no unanimity.

Instead, he said there were plans for chiefs of staff of both countries to dispatch a "Franco-British team to Ukraine" to meet with Ukrainian counterparts within “three weeks” to identify "strategic locations" where future Western troops could be stationed.

These forces will be neither "peacekeeping troops" nor "frontline combat units," he added.

The team will also assess "the structure of Ukraine’s army of tomorrow," including its size, equipment, and even the designation of its soldiers.