Zelensky: Final decision on military contingent deployment in Ukraine to be made within month

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Zelensky said this during a briefing.

“We held a series of meetings two months ago, today is two months since we have been working on this, the teams are working. This was the final meeting today. It is really such a milestone, very important. This does not mean that only the three countries that were here today – Ukraine, France, and the UK – are invved in this process. Many other countries [are participants in the process]. I don't want to talk about the size of this coalition yet. It will be a coalition. I think the teams will need about a month, we believe no longer, and we will be ready with a full understanding of this infrastructure. We are discussing presence on the ground, in the sky and at sea, as well as air defense. And some other delicate things,” Zelensky said.

He added that the teams will meet weekly at the level of military leadership to complete the work as soon as possible. However, the President did not disclose the time and place of the meetings for security reasons.

Zelensky also emphasized that Ukraine has determined geographically where the presence of an international contingent would be most apprriate.

“Our partners already have an understanding of what Ukraine needs, where there are sensitive geographically, so to speak, moments where we would like to have support. And it is important that today I discussed strategic issues – not just the issue of quantity, but the issue of the mandate of this infrastructure. For me, dates are important, understanding at what stage we can count on the contingent,” the President noted.

He added that the military leadership of France and Great Britain would inform the leaders of their countries and the headquarters of other states about the results of today's meeting.

Read also: France, UK ready to lead 'coalition of the willing'

Answering the question of whether there will be a French contingent of tros on the territory of Ukraine, Zelensky said: “French tros, I'm sure, will be among the first, if any. Because the contingent is French, British, they represent this idea today as the main representatives of the Eurean contingent. When will they be there, how many? I just can't tell you, these are the agreements we have with our partners so far.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Vodymyr Zelensky met with representatives of the French and British general staffs in Kyiv today to discuss the deployment of a military contingent in Ukraine.

Earlier, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa said that 10-12 countries were ready to join the Coalition of the Willing in one format or another.