The Kremlin has dismissed reports of discussions between Britain and France on sending soldiers to Ukraine.
A report in Le Monde, the French newspaper, claimed Britain and France had “reactivated” talks over sending Western troops and private defence companies to Ukraine.
However, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that the report did not “correspond with reality” and had hit resistance in most European capitals.
“There is no unanimity of opinion among Europeans on this matter but, of course, some hotheads appear,” he said.
Le Monde said “sensitive discussions, most of which are classified” had been relaunched in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential victory and potential window of withdrawal for Kyiv support, citing “corroborating sources”.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, sent shock waves through Europe in February when he refused to rule out sending “troops” to Ukraine, a move that Germany strongly opposes.
However, Le Monde said that the prospect was far from being “buried” and had been “revived in recent weeks with the visit to France of the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the Nov 11 ceremonies.”
According to Le Monde, a British military source said: “Discussions are under way between the UK and France on defence cooperation, particularly with a view to creating a hard core of allies in Europe, focusing on Ukraine and European security in the broad sense.”
On Saturday, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, called on the Western allies “not to set and express red lines” in their support for Ukraine. Asked about the possibility of sending French troops to the region, he said: “We are not ruling out any option.”
A diplomatic source said Mr Barrot’s comments simply reflected President Macron’s unchanged position that nothing should be ruled out in the name of “strategic ambiguity”.
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