Kogutyak: Support grows for sending French peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

Should a ceasefire be reached in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, six political groups in France have already expressed support to sending French soldiers to assist in a peacekeeping mission, said Volodymyr Kogutyak, UWC Vice President for Western Europe and Association of Ukrainians in France (AUF) Vice President, in an interview with Channel 24.

“At first, the French treated this initiative with caution, but now it enjoys much broader support,” Kogutyak said.

According to him, the Ukrainian community in France and the UWC are making every effort to promote this idea in the country by engaging with government officials, holding peaceful rallies, and working with diplomats.

“At the same time, it’s important to understand that most French people oppose deploying their troops to Ukraine right now,” Kogutyak said.

However, he said, if a ceasefire were declared tomorrow, most French citizens would support the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine.

“That’s why it is crucial for us that a ceasefire happens as soon as possible. After that, our French partners, by their own words, would be ready to send their troops to Ukrainian territory,” he said.

In recent months, attitudes in France toward Ukraine have shifted: people now see Ukraine as Europe’s defender and understand that the war must be stopped on Ukrainian soil to prevent it from spreading further.

“On top of that, they’ve realized it’s impossible to negotiate with Russia — it must be shown strength. That’s why so many French people support the idea of sending European troops to Ukraine,” Kogutyak said.