“For the first time in the post of prime minister. Starmer will come to Ukraine in the coming weeks to discuss the deployment of peacekeeping forces — Bloomberg January 10, 17:26 Share: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS) In the coming weeks British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Ukraine for the first time to discuss the possibility of deploying international peacekeeping forces after the end of the Russian war.”, — write on: ua.news
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
In the coming weeks, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Ukraine for the first time to discuss the possibility of deploying international peacekeeping forces after the end of the war with Russia. This was reported by the Bloomberg agency on Friday, January 10.
According to the agency, Starmer plans to visit Kyiv because “Europe is intensifying preparations for the return of newly elected US President Donald Trump to the White House.” The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment, Bloomberg adds.
“This initiative [розгортання миротворчих сил] was started by Emmanuel Macron [президентом Франції]. The British look at it positively, but I will talk about it in detail with the Prime Minister at our meeting, it will take place… He will visit Ukraine, he will have a visit to Ukraine, and we will talk,” Zelenskyy said on January 9.
As the interlocutor of the journalists stated, Starmer and Macron discussed on January 9 “the potential of joint peacekeeping forces in Ukraine”. Such a proposal would depend on a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not want to discuss yet, the journalists noted.
On January 9, following the results of the 24th meeting in the Rammstein format, Zelenskyi said that he was preparing for a meeting with the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Suspilne reported.
Zelensky said that the presence of a peacekeeping contingent can become an important component of comprehensive security guarantees.
Undoubtedly, one contingent of some countries will not do. I think this is not enough. But the fact that it can be a serious component of future security guarantees is yes,” the president said.
It is possible to send NATO troops to Ukraine – what is known
After the conference in support of Ukraine held in Paris on February 26, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron said that in the future, sending Western troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out.
A number of NATO countries, in response to Macron’s statements, publicly rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine. Among them, in particular, are Poland, the USA, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada and Great Britain.
Discussions about sending troops resumed in November of the same year after the victory in the elections of US President Donald Trump.
On December 3, RFE/RL, citing a high-ranking NATO representative who wished to remain anonymous, reported that France and Great Britain are discussing possible options for guaranteeing Ukraine’s security in the event of peace talks with Russia. One of these options is the deployment of troops from both countries along the demarcation line to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
On December 12, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after meeting with Macron, said that the decision to send Polish troops to Ukraine will be made exclusively by the Polish authorities, but there are no such plans yet.
On December 18, the Reuters agency, citing officials and diplomats, wrote that EU countries could send up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission in the event of a ceasefire.
On December 21, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reacted positively to discussions about the introduction of peacekeeping troops into the territory of Ukraine, stressing that this is possible only after the end of the war.