France gathering alliance of countries capable to dispatching forces to Ukraine: Report

“France is building an alliance of countries open to potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine — and in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin,” the newspaper said.

The French foreign minister highlighted an opportunity at a press conference with his Lithuanian and Ukrainian counterparts on March 8 to send NATO troops to Ukraine that will deal with demining and will not participate in hostilities, the daily noted.

French President Emmanuel Macon raised the possibility earlier that the NATO military may be sent to Ukraine, the newspaper reminded.

The majority of European countries, including Germany, rejected the idea but the Baltic countries “are much more open to the idea”, the Politico added.

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron has proclaimed that he is against the deployment of Western powers’ troops in Ukraine, according to recent media reports.

During an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung published this weekend, Cameron made an astute observation that Western military personnel sent to Ukraine might end up being targeted by Russian forces.

He also argued that Western training programs for Ukrainian soldiers should be carried out outside of Ukraine, pointing out that thousands of Kiev troops have been trained in this fashion in the United Kingdom.