London - Saba:
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced proposed plans to conduct patrols in Ukraine’s airspace and territorial waters following the establishment of a ceasefire agreement with Russia, as part of efforts to rebuild Ukraine, according to his statement.
Speaking at a joint press conference in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Macron said: “The efforts led by our Ministries of Defense have focused on organizing a coalition of 30 partner countries to carry out air and naval patrols to ensure the reconstruction of the Ukrainian military,” adding that the move would send a “strategic message” to Russia.
A French-British summit was held Thursday evening in the British capital, along with a virtual meeting of the coalition, dedicated to discussing “details of future military support to Kyiv.”
The British Prime Minister’s Office later noted that “a coordination center will be established in Kyiv if coalition forces are deployed on Ukrainian territory, and it will be led by a British major general.”
On March 27, Macron had previously stated during the “Coalition of the Willing” summit in Paris that “some member states are planning to send deterrence forces to Ukraine, to be deployed in strategic locations agreed upon with the Ukrainian side,” emphasizing that “full consensus among member states is not required for implementation.”