Reuters reports plans to send European troops to Ukraine
Europe is discussing the possibility of sending up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine.
This was reported by Reuters, citing sources among Ukrainian and European officials.
What is known about plans to send European troops to Ukraine
According to Reuters, the core of the contingent could be formed by a coalition of 5-8 states.
Among them are Great Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Italy.
Experts interviewed by the agency believe that the contingent could number between 40 and 100 thousand people.
The exact number of troops, analysts and officials say, will depend on the nature of the mission.
Which is currently the focus of discussions in the European Union, writes Reuters .
The agency's sources claim that EU countries have not yet decided whether these will be anti-Russian deterrent forces or peacekeeping troops monitoring the ceasefire.
Ukraine and France call for containment, Italy insists on the peacekeeping nature of the mission.
According to military expert Franz-Stefan Gadi from the IISS, a number of European countries may reduce the number of their contingents involved in other missions, in particular in the Balkans.
This will certainly stretch European ground forces considerably, the analyst stated.
The mandate of a possible mission and the advisability of sending peacekeepers under the auspices of the UN were also discussed.
