Paris and London resume discussions on sending French and British troops to Ukraine – Le Monde

Given the prospect of the United States withdrawing its support for Kyiv after Donald Trump takes office, Paris and London have intensified secret talks about sending their troops to Ukraine. They are also discussing the possibility of creating private defense companies on its territory.

Le Monde writes about this with reference to its own sources. It is noted that these "essentially classified delicate debates" resumed after the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to France on November 11.

"Discussions are underway between the UK and France on defense cooperation, in particular intending to create a 'hard core' between the allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and European security more broadly," a British military source told Le Monde.

Earlier, the discussion of sending troops to Ukraine was initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron at a meeting of allies in Paris in February, but it was strongly opposed by some European countries, led by Germany.

"However, this scenario has not been buried yet. In recent weeks, it has even resumed, according to our information, thanks to the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to France on November 11," the article says.

It is noted that the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Elysee Palace have not yet given the official green light to send troops or private service providers. But such proposals have been "on the table" for several months.

Among them is the proposal from Défense Conseil International (DCI), the Ministry of Defense's main operator for monitoring French arms export contracts, which is 55 percent owned by the French state.

"DCI would be ready to continue training Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, as it is already doing in France and Poland. If necessary, it could also maintain the French military equipment sent to Kyiv," the article says.

The resumption of discussions about sending Western troops or private contractors comes at a time when Ukraine has received permission from the United States to use long-range missiles in Russia. However, according to the newspaper's sources, the Ukrainians cannot use the British Storm Shadow missiles, as well as the French Scalp missiles, without some form of Western support on the ground.

"The missile has to be programmed before it can be loaded onto the Su-24 bomber that Ukraine has," the publication notes.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, France has confirmed that Ukraine has been granted permission to use its missiles to strike at the territory of the Russian Federation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that there are no "red lines" in supporting Ukraine.

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