LONDON, December 18. /TASS/. European countries are discussing the deployment of up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal, Reuters reports, citing sources.

According to European and Ukrainian officials, the force could be formed by a coalition of some five to eight nations, including France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Poland. Analysts and officials believe that the size of the force would largely depend on its precise mission. "Some analysts have suggested around 40,000 troops might be feasible," Reuters notes.

The sources also point out that "the debate so far revealed confusion over whether a future European mission would undertake a traditional peacekeeping role, such as monitoring a ceasefire line, or provide a robust deterrent against" Russia. Italian officials have reportedly spoken of peacekeeping, while French and Ukrainian officials have focused on deterrence.

Such a force could be generated if some European nations cut back on other missions, such as Balkan peacekeeping, said Franz-Stefan Gady of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "It's going to severely stretch European land forces, for sure," he stressed.

The mandate of the international force and the need for it to be under the auspices of the United Nations have also come under discussion.

Reuters reported earlier that French President Emmanual Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine at a meeting in Warsaw.

In November, Macron discussed the initiative with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Reuters’ sources also said that Kiev had held talks on the issue with the Scandinavian and Baltic nations. Tusk said following talks with Marcon that Poland had no plans to send troops to Ukraine even after a ceasefire was declared.