France, along with a number of other countries, could deploy a peacekeeping force in Ukraine even without a consensus among all EU member states. However, such troops must first receive a clear mandate.

Axar.az reports that, citing Ukrinform, this was stated by the Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Studies Bruno Tertrais.

“I have no doubt that in the presence of a hypothetical ceasefire agreement, certain European countries, such as France, will be able to send their armed forces,” he noted.

“We don’t need a consensus in Europe to deploy troops. As long as this is not a NATO or EU mission, we don’t need a consensus. A small number of European countries may well be involved. Paris was the first to say that we can imagine European troops on the ground (in Ukraine). So this is obviously not a problem for France. The question is more about where and for what purpose are European troops required? To help train the Ukrainian Army or to protect the security line? With an international mandate or not," the geopolitical research expert explained.