Nato forces take part in training exercises in the Finnish Lapland on Nov 18 - AFP
The Telegraph: Britain and France are considering deploying troops to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire should Kyiv and Moscow begin peace talks, according to an anonymous senior Nato official.
Paris and London are preparing options for a variety of situations that could unfold in Ukraine, the official told Radio Free Europe. One option would involve sending a task force of troops to the contact line to enforce an armistice.
These discussions are taking place between national governments and not within Nato structures, the official added.
It comes after French newspaper Le Monde reported last week that France and Britain had begun discussions about sending troops to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky said for the first time last week that he was willing to temporarily cede territory to Russia to end the war if the current conflict were to be frozen along current lines.
The Ukrainian president added that after a ceasefire was agreed, Kyiv could “diplomatically” negotiate the return of the territory in the east that is currently under Russian control.
Other Western leaders followed Mr Zelensky’s lead in suggesting for the first time that Ukraine may only win the war via the negotiation table.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said on Monday the West should step up support for Ukraine but said Kyiv must also be “put...in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace”.
Mark Rutte, the Nato chief, echoed Sir Keir’s comments on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with foreign ministers from the military alliance.
“We will all need to do more. The stronger our military support to Ukraine is now, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table,” Mr Rutte told reporters at the Nato headquarters in Brussels.
Kyiv reiterated calls on Tuesday for Nato to expedite Ukraine’s entry into the alliance, though there is reportedly no consensus amongst allies on whether such a move should occur, a source told Reuters.
The Kremlin responded by describing Ukraine’s membership bid as an “unacceptable threat”.
“Such a potential decision is unacceptable to us, because it is a threatening event for us,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters.
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