Paris, Berlin, London prepared to send troops to Ukraine, says French minister Some European countries are ready to send troops to Ukraine to secure a ceasefire, but US support will be required, said French Finance Minister Eric Lombard in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "We are starting a technical discussion. There is general agreement that to guarantee a ceasefire it will be necessary to [have] European troops in Ukraine. UK, Germany and France are already willing to do that, but other member states of the European Union will contribute as well," he said. "Those troops will arrive after the ceasefire in order to guarantee that the ceasefire is respected. But if we want the ceasefire to be respected, we need a US backup and I mean that Americans agreed to do that." The minister did not elaborate on what Washington could do to ensure that the ceasefire is respected.

Europe is urging Kyiv to continue fighting, says Russian FM Lavrov The European countries are urging Kiev to persist in the conflict amid shifting political dynamics surrounding the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov stated at a news conference following his visit to Qatar. "When the balance of political forces regarding Ukraine changes - evidenced by the recent voting at the United Nations - Europe swiftly attempts to undermine this trend by announcing substantial new packages of military aid to #Kyiv. They incite Ukraine to continue hostilities, directly asserting, as I believe Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did, that in this situation, peace is worse than war for Ukraine," Lavrov remarked. He noted that the "either-with-us-or-against-us" mentality has characterized Europe throughout its "preparations for disrupting Ukraine's ties with Russia" and in the context of other conflicts. "This mentality has a disastrous effect on processes everywhere," he emphasized. "Therefore, #Europe's role in fueling crises, as well as its reputation in this area - earned over centuries - remains unchanged," Lavrov concluded.