(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Nicolas Richoux, a retired Brigadier General of the French Army, stated this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“We will inevitably be part of the negotiation process. Why? Because we are the ones who will provide security guarantees, not the Americans. That is, if there is any agreement, the only realistic way for Ukraine to have troops on its territory and strong deterrence forces, as in South Korea, is for Europeans to ensure them,” the general noted, adding that this stage of negotiations is still“quite far off.”

According to him,“either Europeans provide real guarantees, or such guarantees simply will not exist.”

At the same time, Richoux believes that Ukrainians would be prepared to make sacrifices in the form of de facto territorial losses if they deemed these guarantees sufficient. However, handing over these territories to the aggressor“is unacceptable from a military standpoint.”

“But there is the principle of reality. It seems to me the idea is to fix the lines of division along the current frontline, de facto. But only Ukrainians themselves can say so. It is not European capitals that must decide on Ukraine's behalf whether to give up 20% of its territory. Only Ukrainians can determine whether the stakes are worth it, based solely on the principle that Ukraine is currently unable to retake these areas. I believe Ukrainians would be willing to make sacrifices if sufficient security guarantees existed,” he suggested.

According to him, if no such arrangements are made, Ukrainians are capable of continuing the war.

Read also: Ukraine, U.S. agree Zelensky and Trump will discuss territorial issues directly

“If there are no solid security guarantees, they would rather keep fighting than watch their country be effectively cast onto the scrap heap of history,” the retired general added.

As reported, ahead of the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, Zelensky had a phone call with Merz

Ukrinform's photos can be purchased here.

MENAFN25112025000193011044ID1110397081