Politico sources confirm that Macron and Tusk to discuss peacekeeping mission in Ukraine

Politico has confirmed through its sources that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to discuss the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine – should the current phase of the war come to an end – with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday.

As reported by Politico, responding to a report by the Polish news outlet Rzeczpospolita regarding discussions of a potential 40,000-strong peacekeeping mission for Ukraine, composed of troops from other countries, an EU diplomat said: "It is true."

The diplomat did not specify which countries might provide troops if such a peacekeeping mission were to be deployed. Both officials commented on the matter under conditions of anonymity.

The proposal for a peacekeeping contingent differs from Macron's earlier idea of sending military instructors to Ukraine during the ongoing war.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to reference such a plan during his meeting with Friedrich Merz, the likely next German chancellor.

"I'll tell you frankly, we can think and work on Emmanuel [Macron]'s position," Zelenskyy told journalists.

"Do you remember, he proposed that… troops of this or that country be present in some territories of Ukraine, which would guarantee us security while Ukraine is not in NATO," the Ukrainian president added.

The Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita previously reported that Macron is reportedly considering a potential European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine as a safeguard against renewed Russian aggression.

According to the report, discussions on this potential mission will be a central topic during Macron's visit to Warsaw on 12 December. 

It is also likely that Macron broached the idea with US President-elect Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting last Saturday in Paris.

Journalists speculate that Macron also discussed this proposal in his one-on-one meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in mid-November and his discussions with representatives from Northern European and Baltic countries on 27 November.

Prior to this, other Polish media reported on Macron’s planned visit, noting that it is linked to his recent discussions with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump over the weekend.