Ukraine needs European troops "ready to fight", not peacekeepers - Zhovkva
Kyiv • UNN
Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva emphasized the importance of Europe's contribution in the form of troops ready to defend Ukraine. The summit in Paris aims to guarantee Ukraine's security in the future.
Ukraine needs a "serious" contribution from Europe in the form of troops ready to fight, not peacekeepers, after any end to hostilities with Russia. This was stated to AFP by the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva, reports UNN.
We do not need a simple presence to demonstrate that Europe is present. What matters is not the amount (number - ed.), but their willingness to fight, their willingness to defend, their willingness to be equipped, their willingness to understand that Ukraine is an integral part of European security
Addition
On March 25, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday evening to prepare for the security summit to be held on Thursday, the Elysee Palace said.
Zelenskyy has already arrived in France.
The new summit on "peace and security for Ukraine" is a continuation of meetings held in Paris and London in recent weeks to establish "security guarantees" for Ukraine as part of a possible future peace agreement with Russia.
The new version should allow to "complete" the work on "short-term" military support for Ukraine, on a "sustainable and long-lasting model of the Ukrainian army to prevent Russian invasions [in the future]" and on "security guarantees that European armies can provide", including through ground deployment on Ukrainian territory, the French president said last week.
According to a diplomatic source contacted by Agence France-Presse, more than twenty countries from the European Union and/or NATO, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and Turkey, have been invited.
At the same time, Emmanuel Macron continues his reflections at the national level on strengthening defense efforts in France and in Europe in the face of American aspirations for demarcation. For the third time in recent weeks, on Tuesday evening he will host Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and several ministers for a working meeting on the additional military spending they deem necessary and its financing.
