Zelensky says in which regions Ukraine expects to deploy European troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kiev counts on the deployment of a European military contingent near the front line in case of a cessation of hostilities with Russia. The head of state said this in an interview with Agence France-Presse.

We would like the contingent to be closer to the front line. Of course, no one wants to stand on the first line, and, of course, Ukrainians would like our partners to stand with us," the President stressed.

Back in early January, Ukraine, France and the UK signed a declaration of intent to deploy troops as part of the Coalition of the willing after the end of the war.

According to the British edition of The Times, Paris and London considered sending 7.5 thousand troops to Ukraine each - a total of about 15 thousand peacekeepers. However, even this scale was less than the initial expectations.

We shall remind you that during his speech at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, Zelensky also said that the USA had offered Ukraine security guarantees for 15 years. However, Kiev insists on a longer-term format - from 20 to 50 years - to ensure sustainable defence of the country in the future.