Ukraine’s most important allies met on Thursday to discuss the complexities of a possible peacekeeping mission to the country. This meeting aimed to finalize the specifics of a mission that may be deployed following a peace agreement with Russia, amid escalating concerns over repeated violations of existing ceasefire terms.
The Ukrainian government insists that a peacekeeping mission is fundamental to disallow any other aggression from Russia. After Russia’s latest violations of a limited ceasefire, Ukraine is more nervous than ever about its security environment. Ukraine has trained and bled to become a member of NATO, but the United States and others collectively at NATO have squandered its aspirations. In response to this, Ukraine is now pursuing other forms of security guarantees.
And in light of all this, there is U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued campaign to achieve a Russian-brokered peace deal. Ukraine has already confirmed its support for this initiative. So far, there has been no accountability for Russia’s recent violations of the ceasefire. These events should give everyone pause and uneasy doubt to the value of diplomatic pursuit.
Negotiations about the peacekeeping mission are moving, with Ukrainian officials expecting to have clear commitments on troop deployments within a month.
“This is a complex issue that requires careful planning, taking into account many factors. This is what is currently being worked on,” – Palisa
Ukraine believes that any Western troops sent to the region would require extensive air defenses and additional protective measures.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for backup at sensitive geographical points, stating, “We discuss foreign troops’ presence on land, in the sky and at sea. Air defense, as well as other delicate strategic issues. Our partners understand what Ukraine needs. There are some sensitive geographical points where we would want to have a backup.”
Countries are racing to put together a coalition to take the next step and provide military support. Recent talks include the possible participation of Baltic and Nordic countries.
“There is also talk of the participation of the Baltic and Nordic countries. In any case, this can be implemented through bilateral agreements with each member country of the coalition,” – Palisa
Ukraine’s European allies are currently debating whether the size of the proposed forces will be sufficient to deter further Russian aggression. During these discussions, leaders are contemplating troop numbers and the mandate under which these troops would operate and the necessary infrastructure required to support them.
Zelenskyy seemed to imply that there is a need to set clear timelines regarding troop deployments. We came to an agreement, not only on the number of troops that need to be deployed, but what the troops’ mandate is and the overall infrastructure problem,” he stated. Dates, knowing at what stage of negotiations we can truly count on a contingent, stuff like that – super important to me.”
Palisa expanded on strategic aspects, explaining that coordination and timing between military and political elements is key to successful execution.
“We understand perfectly well that to make such decisions, synchronization of both the military and political components is necessary. Only after that can we move on,” – Palisa
Ukraine’s vision is one of a deployment that would serve as security guarantee.
“Ukraine has its vision of the deployment of such forces that will act as security guarantors. All these issues still need to be discussed, agreed upon, and verified at both the political and military levels,” – Palisa
So how has Russia responded to this? Without a UN mandate, they will consider any deployment of friendly troops inadmissible. This settled position only complicates an already complicated state of affairs further, though.
Everyone involved understands that a high level of planning and coordination will be necessary as they move forward into these discussions. We want these negotiations to result in a robust peacekeeping mission. This mission can provide Ukraine the certainty and security it urgently seeks in an increasingly chaotic world.
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