By Bill Heaney
President Emmanuel Macron has announced that a British-French military delegation will be sent to Ukraine to scout Kyiv’s needs and what can be done to support its army – and that troops would be deployed as a “reassurance force” to uphold any full ceasefire agreed with Russia.
Local soldiers who continue to be recruited into the Highland Regiment, which replaced the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders when it was disbanded, will almost certainly be part of the ceasefire reassurance force.
The last high profile engagement by the Argylls was in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” in the Seventies when a number of local men served there.
Before that the Argylls were as part of the force led by Colonel ‘Mad Mitch’ Colin Mitchell in Aden.
Chiefs of staffs from both countries are being tasked with putting together a team and meeting Ukrainian counterparts, the French president said.
Mr Macron, who hosted 31 world leaders from the “coalition of the willing” at the Elysee Palace in Paris to discuss the ceasefire efforts to stop Vladimir Putin’s invasion, said: “There will be a reassurance force with several European countries that will deploy”.
Bill Heaney reporting on the Argylls in Africa 1997 and above right in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer said it was clear that Russia was “playing games” with peace and was delaying a ceasefire, vowing that now was not the time to lift sanctions on Russia.
The French president warned yesterday that European troops deployed to Ukraine would respond to a Russian attack. “If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,” he said.
Analysis: Uncertainty shrouds Macron and Starmer’s ‘reassurance force’
Independent Political Correspondent Archie Mitchell looks at the new so-called “reassurance force”, announced after the summit today:
When talks about the ‘coalition of the willing’ began, it seemed clear what the intention was – to assemble a group of countries willing to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to guard the peace between Russia and Ukraine.
But what was once commonly referred to as a peacekeeping force has now been dubbed a “reassurance force”, and we are no closer to knowing what form it will take.
Hundreds of military planners met in London this week to flesh out exactly who can offer what, and Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have suggested it is not just the two of them willing to station troops in Ukraine.
The pair are sending army chiefs on a fact-finding mission to Ukraine to assess what Kyiv needs, which will inform the shape of the force.
But after a month and four meetings of coalition partners, and warnings from Russia that any troops’ presence in Ukraine will be rejected regardless, the “reassurance force” remains a nebulous concept in the public’s minds.
Sir Keir Starmer said today’s decisions from the “coalition of the willing” were designed to put pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table, so a lasting peace deal can finally be reached with Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian President is “not ready for direct talks”.
Speaking after the summit, Zelensky said he was willing to talk to Vladimir Putin.
“I’ve never been afraid, it’s just Putin wants war – what can a man who wants war say at peace talks?” he said in translated comments.
Zelensky said Europe’s support is unanimous
Asked if he thought the position of Europeans was clear after today’s summit, Ukraine’s president said it was unanimous.
Tougher sanctions and a security guarantee for Ukraine were clearly backed by the summit, but detail on a security contingency was yet to be hashed out.
Zelensky said Europe should also be at the negotiating table.
Volodymyr Zelensky, right, said Ukraine was hoping for security guarantees from the US as well as Europe.
Asked whether he was speaking to the US about security support, the Ukrainian President said help from America would be “very important”
But he said he was yet to discuss this type of support in detail with Donald Trump.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer were helping to work out the infrastructure for the “reassurance force” for Ukraine.
Zelensky said there were many different proposals from countries, offering many types of support, including air support, boots on the ground or naval assistance.
How it could be done, who would command it and other issues still needed to be worked out, he added, and France and the UK would lead those initial discussions.
Yes, a war is coming, Britain is arming for the fight, Starmer says arming the military will be good for business, good for the economy, and now we have the Jocks preparing for action.
Makes the Britainic heat beat proudly – eh?