Britain and France are not ruling out sending troops to Ukraine as part of European coalition to support war effort, amid fears Trump could withdraw US military aid to Kiev, French report claims

Britain and France have not ruled out sending troops to Ukraine as part of a European coalition, French media have reported, amid fears the war is edging closer to an all-out conflict between Russia and NATO.

Discussions about sending troops from Western armies and private defense companies have been “reactivated”, according to French daily Le Monde, months after President Macron faced opposition from Western leaders over the suggestion.

The talks have also been revisited amid concerns that US support for Kiev could be withdrawn by newly elected President Donald Trump when he comes to power on January 20, sources have claimed.

London and Paris could lead a new coalition of Kiev’s European allies, the sources said, with the proposal believed to have gained momentum in recent weeks following Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to France for Remembrance Day on November 11.

“Discussions are underway between Britain and France about defense cooperation, particularly with the aim of creating a core of allies in Europe, focused on Ukraine and wider European security,” a British military source told Le Monde.

When asked about the possibility of French boots in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the BBC: “We are not ruling out any option.”

“We will support Ukraine as intensely and for as long as necessary. Why? Because it is our safety that is at stake. “Every time the Russian army advances one square kilometer, the threat moves one square kilometer closer to Europe,” he said.

He also stressed during Saturday’s interview that Western allies “should not establish and express red lines” regarding their support for Ukraine, and indicated that French long-range scalp missiles could be fired at Russia “in the logic of self-defense.”

An Archer Artillery Gun is fired by troops of the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, during a live range in the Rovajärvi Training Area

The proposal is said to have gained momentum in recent weeks following Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to France for Remembrance Day on November 11.

His comments appear to confirm that France has followed the UK and US in giving Kiev the green light to use long-range missiles supplied by the country in attacks on Russian territory.

As tensions remain high over Kiev’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons against Russia, Moscow said on Monday its air defenses had shot down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine.

“Air defense forces shot down eight ballistic missiles,” the Moscow Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing. There was no mention of what type of ballistic missile Ukraine used or where they were shot down.

Six US-made JDAM guided bombs and 45 aircraft-type drones were also downed in the past 24 hours, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported, citing the Defense Ministry.

Putin signed an updated version of the Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine last week, expanding the possibilities for Moscow to turn to its fearsome nuclear arsenal on the same day that US-made missiles rained down on Russian territory.

The document, first announced in September, allows Putin’s strategic forces to deploy their devastating weapons if Russia or Belarus is threatened by a non-nuclear country backed by a nuclear power.

It was feared that Ukraine’s attack on an ammunition depot in Russia’s Bryansk region using the US-supplied ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) met these criteria, with Moscow saying it marked a “new phase of the Western war”.

Russia, according to Moscow, was a response to the Biden administration’s shift in missile policy launched an ‘Oreshnik’ medium-range missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.

This photo taken on November 25, 2024 shows destroyed cars next to a destroyed building after a rocket attack in Odesa

A look at the damage after the Russian attack on the center of Kharkov on November 25. The attack hit buildings already partially destroyed in the city center, some in 2022. 19 people were injured, several of whom are in hospital

Vladimir Putin said the new weapon was ten times the speed of sound, leaving Ukrainian air defenses powerless to shoot it down.

Russian sources said the range was 3,100 miles, with Russian defense officials pointing out that this would allow it to strike anywhere in Europe and the west coast of the United States.

Putin has promised to increase production of the weapon after its launch on Thursday.

As the air war in the conflict intensifies, a top NATO official today warned against Russian ground forces.

The chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, said Moscow’s land forces are now larger than when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

But “the quality of those forces has deteriorated,” he said, referring to the state of the force’s equipment and the training level of its soldiers.

This is when missiles, believed to be British Storm Shadow missiles, struck Russia

“Right now, the Russians do not pose the same threat as they did in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare,” he said, adding that this meant increasing investment in the defense industry.

NATO is expected to hold emergency talks with Kiev on Tuesday to discuss the escalation of the conflict, which has seen around 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to support Russian forces.

Soldiers sent by Pyongyang are believed to be in Russia’s Kursk region, which is partly occupied by Ukraine, and will be ready to engage in combat in Ukraine “soon,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Britain has urged Kiev’s allies to continue supporting its fight against Russia. Foreign Minister David Lammy today ordered the G7 countries to support and equip Ukraine for as long as necessary.

French soldiers of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment operate the CAESAR, a French self-propelled howitzer capable of firing 39/52 caliber NATO standard during Dynamic Front

The Foreign Secretary said today that the British government is imposing the largest sanctions package on Russia’s shadow fleet, including 30 ships.

Before a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, he told reporters that Britain was announcing “the largest sanctions package on Russia’s shadow fleet,” referring to a fleet that Britain says is using practices to circumvent Western restrictions on Russian oil.

“It is extremely important at this G7 that all colleagues… continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we are confident that Ukraine can have the money, military equipment and equipment to get through 2025.”