Zelenskiy says details of foreign troop contingent in Ukraine could be ready in a month

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By Dan Peleschuk and Yuliia Dysa

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that European military planners could be ready within a month with details of a foreign troop contingent in Ukraine seen as critical to ending the war with Russia.

Kyiv is seeking security guarantees from its allies in the event of a peace agreement with Moscow to prevent a repeat of its February 2022 full-scale invasion.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv after meeting British and French military chiefs, Zelenskiy said many other countries would also contribute to the effort, which envisages foreign troops patrolling Ukrainian land, sea and airspace.

“I think the teams need about a month, no longer, and we will be fully ready with an understanding of this infrastructure,” he said.

Zelenskiy added that military working groups would meet weekly until then to finalise the details. He did not specify which other nations would contribute.

Ukrainian army leaders including Kyiv’s top general and the chief of its general staff also met the visiting European military officials on Friday.

Zelenskiy, who spoke shortly after a Russian missile attack killed 14 people in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, said Kyiv’s partners have “a lot of understanding” of Ukraine’s needs.

“Today we discussed the issue of not only the quantity (of troops), but also the mandate,” he said. “It is important for me.”

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alex Richardson and Alistair Bell)