Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has held further discussions with Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of deploying Western troops to Ukraine to safeguard a potential peace deal with Russia.
Speaking of the security guarantees required for such a peace to be implemented, Zelenskyy said: “As one of these guarantees, we discussed the French initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine.
“We considered practical steps for its implementation, possible expansion and involvement of other countries in this process.”
Suggestions have been made that Western soldiers could be deployed to a potential ceasefire line, although this is undoubtedly risky, given Russia’s aversion to having NATO or affiliated troops anywhere near its border.
Explained: The fight for Pokrovsk
Russia has slowly been advancing on and encircling the key town of Pokrovsk for weeks.
A road and rail hub, Pokrovsk had a pre-war population of around 60,000 people – thousands of whom remain in the town.
Since 2014, when Ukraine lost control of the regional capital, the city of Donetsk, Pokrovsk has hosted an important technical university, the largest and oldest in the wider region.
A coal mine that is Ukraine’s largest producer of coking coal, which is used in its steel industry and was vital for its pre-war economy, is only a 20-minute drive to the west.
How close are Russian forces?
Aside from a continuing aerial bombardment of the area, Russian troops are within miles of the town, and an assault is expected in weeks.
Moscow’s troops have made gains to the southwest, and are cutting off nearby roads in an attempt to encircle it.
Additionally, Russia is making plans to hold the town.
“Russian advances east and west of Pokrovsk may complicate Ukrainian logistics and Ukraine’s ability to resupply and redeploy troops to defend Pokrovsk” the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War thianktank says.
Why does Russia want Pokrovsk?
Control of the town, which the Russian media call “the gateway to Donetsk”, would allow Moscow to severely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front.
Its capture would also boost Russia’s campaign to capture the city of Chasiv Yar, which sits on higher ground offering potential control of a wider area.
Moscow says it has annexed Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region – a claim Kyiv rejects as illegal – and sees taking control of Pokrovsk as an important stepping stone to incorporating the entire region into Russia.
Additionally, it’s thought that squeezing the Ukrainian military’s access to the road network in the area would make it harder for them to hold pockets of territory either side of the town.
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