UK, France eying force for Ukraine with close to 30,000 troops amid US-Russia talks

Britain and France are spearheading attempts to create a European “reassurance force” of fewer than 30,000 troops to protect Ukraine after any ceasefire deal with Russia, UK media reported Thursday.

The idea comes as European powers fear that US President Donald Trump could end the three-year war on terms favorable to Moscow, without providing security guarantees to Kyiv.

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The UK-France proposal -- attributed to unnamed western officials -- would likely focus on air and maritime defense, with “minimal” forces on the ground and none near the eastern frontline, the Guardian newspaper said.

The Times reported that a so-called US backstop in the form of “air cover” would be essential to the plan, which would seek to deter Russia from violating any agreement.

“The area we have a significant advantage over Russia is in the air and in (our) ability to respond to flagrant abuses of a ceasefire,” the Financial Times quoted a western official as saying.

It is unclear whether the considerations would satisfy Kyiv or be acceptable to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously called for a western deterrence force of more than 100,000 personnel to help secure a lasting peace.

Russia told the US in talks Tuesday that it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

France and the UK are two of the main players in the western military alliance.

Trump has sent shock waves around Europe by saying he is ready to resume diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, over the heads of European countries and Kyiv.

The new US administration has expressed sympathy for some of Moscow’s demands, including over territory captured from Ukraine since 2014 and Russia’s insistence that Ukraine does not join NATO.

Both French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are due to undertake visits to the White House to meet Trump next week.

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