NEW YORK, March 21. /TASS/. The proposal of the United Kingdom and France to send troops of the "coalition of the willing" to Ukraine has not found support among many EU countries, including Italy, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.
According to the news agency, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opposed the deployment of a so-called peacekeeping force of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine after the settlement of the conflict. Most of the other states that participated in the meeting of the "coalition of the willing" also expressed their unwillingness to participate directly in sending forces to Ukraine, limiting themselves to offering support to those NATO countries that decide to deploy their troops there.
Bloomberg recalled that London had earlier proposed the idea of deploying 30,000 troops in Ukraine. The news agency pointed out that taking into account the position of the leaders of many EU countries, the UK may adjust its proposal by reducing the number of the "peacekeeping force."
On March 20, a meeting of military commanders from the "coalition of the willing" countries was held in London to discuss operational details of sending troops to Ukraine. On the same day, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told military planners that plans were being drawn up for land, sea and air operations in Ukraine to ensure compliance with the post-conflict peace deal.
According to UK media, London and Paris hope to form a "peacekeeping force" of 10,000 to 30,000 troops ostensibly to enforce a peace deal on Ukraine. At the same time, UK Air Force fighter jets could patrol Ukrainian airspace, taking off from Polish territory. According to The Daily Telegraph, the air cover may be provided by NATO countries on a rotating basis.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on March 12 that the presence of NATO troops under any flag and in any capacity on Ukrainian soil is a threat to Russia. According to him, Moscow will not accept it under any circumstances.