Pistorius: Germany cannot stand aside on peacekeeping forces in Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius responded positively to discussions about deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, stating that this would only be possible after the war ends, Spiegel reported on Dec. 21.
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.
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