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French President Emmanuel Macron has informed parliament of plans to deploy up to 6,000 French troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached, Le Monde reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
According to the newspaper, a closed-door meeting was held at the Élysée Palace on January 8, attended by government ministers, senior military officials, the heads of both chambers of parliament, and leaders of political parties and parliamentary factions.
Participants said Macron outlined confidential details of France’s contribution to security guarantees for Ukraine, stressing that the troops would not be deployed on the front line. French Chief of the Defence Staff Fabien Mandon reportedly explained that the contingent would not be a deterrence or stabilization force, but rather “support forces for the Ukrainian army.”
Macron said foreign troops would be stationed “far from the front” and would focus on accompanying and training Ukrainian units.
Mathilde Panot, leader of the parliamentary group of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, said France could send up to 6,000 soldiers to Ukraine, while expressing skepticism about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees.
“There is no reason to trust Donald Trump,” she said.
Part of the opposition — including La France Insoumise, the Communists and the far-right National Rally — insists that any deployment should take place only with a UN mandate. Some right-wing lawmakers, however, argue that an international mandate may not be necessary if Kyiv formally requests such a deployment.
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said a separate parliamentary debate on the issue would be held within the next two to three weeks.
The report comes amid broader discussions among Ukraine’s allies on post-war security guarantees. France and Germany have previously signaled readiness to send troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire, while other countries, including Belgium, Canada, Lithuania and Spain, have said they could contribute in various ways to ensuring Ukraine’s security following a peace agreement.
