EU skeptical about sending peacekeepers to Ukraine - media
The European Union is skeptical about the possibility of agreeing to send peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor compliance with a possible ceasefire if the United States is not involved in the mission.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Radio Liberty with reference to three interlocutors who were not authorized to comment on this topic.
It is emphasized that it will be very difficult to convince the population of Europe of the need to send European military to Ukraine if the United States does not participate in the mission.
"It's a good idea, but you only need to look at the skepticism in the Czech Republic and Poland (two countries that are expected to provide quite a few soldiers) to see that it will be a hard sell," said one EU official.
A second interlocutor from EU diplomatic circles pointed out another potential obstacle to the realization of this idea.
"Do not believe in European soldiers on Ukrainian soil for two reasons: the Russians will not accept it - the first is that it is difficult to 'sell' to the European population (sending 'our guys'). The second is that it is difficult to "sell" to the European population (sending "our guys" to Ukraine to die is a great phrase for populists)," the EU diplomat said.
Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine
Earlier, it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron would discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine if an agreement is reached to end the current phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk denied that Polish troops would be sent to Ukraine after the ceasefire.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, assessed the possibility of sending a European peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed his readiness to support a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine if peace is achieved.
In turn, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called these discussions "premature".
Germany, together with its partners, will consider the possible deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of "security guarantees" only after the conditions for this are created, namely a ceasefire with Russia.
The MFA of Ukraine has stated that several countries are currently considering participation in a potential contingent of Western allies in Ukraine. However, specific plans for the deployment of foreign troops are still under discussion.
