Pistorius: Germany cannot stand aside on peacekeeping forces in Ukraine

Pistorius said, “As the largest NATO country in Europe and the largest economy in Europe, Germany cannot stand aside, not participating in this... However, as long as the war continues, no German soldier will be on Ukrainian soil.”

He added that such a decision could only be made once the question of “when there will be a ceasefire... and when it becomes clear how this will look” arises.

Pistorius said that, so far, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has shown “no interest in negotiations.”

Earlier, Pistorius had stated that Germany could contribute to securing a future ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but it is still too early to discuss the specifics of peacekeeping forces.

Potential NATO troops in Ukraine

After the Ukraine Support Conference in Paris on Feb. 26, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine’s western allies would form a coalition to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with long-range weapons. He also suggested that sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future could not be ruled out.

In response to Macron’s statements, several NATO countries publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine. Among them were Poland, the U.S., Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

As reported by Le Monde, discussions about deploying troops resumed in November 2024 after the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump.

“Discussions are ongoing between the U.K. and France about defense cooperation, including the creation of a core group of allies in Europe focused on Ukraine and broader European security,” a British military source told the publication.

On Dec. 3, Radio Free Europe, citing a senior NATO official who wished to remain anonymous, reported that France and the U.K. were discussing possible ways to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the event of peace talks with Russia.

One option being considered was stationing troops from both countries along the front lines to monitor the ceasefire.

On Dec. 12, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after meeting with French President Macron, who was visiting Warsaw, said that the decision to send Polish troops to Ukraine would be made solely by the Polish government, but such plans do not exist at this time.

On Dec. 16, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed confidence that before discussing the initiative to send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, peace must first be achieved.