PARIS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that "several thousand" French soldiers could be deployed to maintain peace in Ukraine following a ceasefire.
In an interview with TV channel France 2 during a Paris meeting of Western and European countries, Macron said that "France will take part in operations" to monitor the Russian-Ukrainian border after a ceasefire agreement is signed.
He stressed, however, that the French soldiers would not be combat forces, adding that France will participate in the "regeneration of the Ukrainian army."
Macron added that "work has been carried out between the Ukrainians, the Coalition of the Willing and the Americans. They will be the ones responsible for determining whether the border area is violated or not."
A coalition of about 30 Western and European countries agreed Tuesday at a meeting in Paris that any future peace settlement must include robust and binding security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to a joint declaration, they stand ready to put in place a system of politically and legally binding guarantees once a ceasefire takes effect. This will include participation in a U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism, military support for Ukraine and long-term defense cooperation. ■
