Ukrainian officials believe Western countries could deploy 40,000–50,000 peacekeepers across frontline — FT
Ukrainian officials believe its Western partners could feasibly deploy 40,000–50,000 peacekeeping troops in the country if a ceasefire is reached with Russia, Financial Times reported on Thursday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are expected to discuss the issue at an “informal retreat” on February 3, according to FT. However, the outlet notes that so far, only the Baltic states have supported the idea of deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine. Poland has ruled out sending its troops, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also strongly opposed to the idea.
Former top NATO official Camille Grand told FT that a Western peacekeeping force in Ukraine would have to be “robust enough to not be a soft target that Russia could immediately test, and big enough so that it does not require immediate reinforcement and is not seen as a backdoor commitment by Nato.”
