Several countries ready to support Macron's idea of potential military contingent in Ukraine – Ukraine's Foreign Ministry

Several countries are considering joining a potential Western allied contingent in Ukraine, as proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, although discussions are still in the early stages.

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, recalled that after meetings in Brussels, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his support for Macron's proposal regarding the potential deployment of a Western allied military contingent in Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

"Indeed, in addition to France, several other countries have expressed their readiness to take such a step," said Tykhyi.

"However, it is too early to discuss specific details, such as when and where these contingents could be deployed. This is a general discussion about the possibility and readiness to take such steps. We welcome these discussions and believe there should be no taboos regarding the formats of support for Ukraine from our partners. Specific plans will be crystallised at a later stage," he explained.

The spokesperson noted that Ukraine is actively involved in these discussions and the principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" remains.

President Zelenskyy acknowledged that the idea of deploying a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine as a deterrent against a new Russian invasion was discussed during meetings in Brussels. He also mentioned that he was already "seeing positive developments" from some leaders.

In an address to EU leaders, he expressed support for Macron's idea and urged other partners to join in.