Kiev’s backers facing ‘big problem’ after Macron exit – Telegraph

The French president could be replaced by Ukraine skeptics next year, potentially throwing NATO efforts to support Kiev into disarray, the paper’s sources say French President Emmanuel Macron’s departure from the Elysee Palace next year could open the door to Ukraine skeptics and create a “big problem” for the NATO coalition backing Kiev, The Telegraph reported on Sunday, citing sources.Fears about what the British paper described as a “leadership vacuum” revolve mainly around the so-called “coalition of the willing” – a grouping of roughly 30, mostly NATO, states that has spent over a year drawing up plans to put troops in Ukraine as self-styled “peacekeepers” once a ceasefire is reached. Among the goals of the group – which is dominated by the UK and France – is also to coordinate aid to Kiev.Russia has rejected any unauthorized foreign military presence in Ukraine, suggesting that Western troops would not be “peacekeepers” but rather “occupation forces” and therefore legitimate targets. The Telegraph noted that while new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham signaled continuity in backing Kiev and NATO, there is no equivalent figure in Paris, with Macron constitutionally required to le...