Peacekeeping mission in Ukraine can take place without NATO, - Latvian Prime Minister Siliņa
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said that the issue of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine should be reconsidered, in particular, in the format of a European initiative, if NATO fails to make a joint decision.
This is reported by Delfi, Censor.NET informs.
Siliņa stressed that the issue of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine had previously been considered exclusively as a NATO initiative. However, now it is necessary to be prepared for an alternative scenario that involves a European coalition.
"We need to talk about whether this is being done and what the legal framework will be, because so far we have all seen it as a joint NATO mission," Siliņa said.
She also noted that the Baltic and Scandinavian countries are already coordinating their actions and are ready for possible participation in the initiative. If the mission is organised by the EU alone, it is necessary to determine who will command the forces and what security guarantees will be provided to the military personnel involved.
"We have ready-made scenarios, but we need to agree on this broad framework," the Latvian prime minister concluded.
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 in the event of an agreement 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.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas assessed the possibility of sending a European peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crozetto 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 are created, namely a ceasefire with Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry 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.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Russia is categorically negative about the prospect of European troops in Ukraine, no matter what role they take on.
