Ukraine's peacekeeping mission enters Implementation phase, foreign minister says

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that the idea of deploying a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine to monitor the ceasefire is now in the implementation stage, with the countries ready to send their military contingents.

European leaders previously proposed placing peacekeeping forces behind a future demarcation line in Ukraine. In particular, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed this idea on 18 February during an emergency summit in Paris. Italy, Great Britain, Latvia, Germany, Canada, and Australia have previously expressed readiness to send peacekeeping units to Ukraine. Romania offered to serve as a transit point for peacekeeping forces, while Poland immediately stated it does not plan to commit its troops.

“We clearly understand the list of countries that are willing to deploy their troops as important operational elements of the future security guarantees system. Therefore, we are already at the stage of discussing the details,” said Sybiha.

Further discussions will cover the deployment of the mission, the number of peacekeepers, and the mandate.

He reminded that on 15 March, the coalition summit led by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took place. This summit, which included an online meeting of world leaders to discuss support for Ukraine, was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. National security advisors are also involved in an ongoing track on the matter with Andrii Yermak.

“So, these are no longer abstract ideas. These are things that are already in the stage of implementation, not just discussion,” said Sybiha.

He added that the support of the peacekeeping mission by the American side “is extremely, critically important.”

“We need America, we need American involvement and American leadership,” said the Ukrainian minister.

Commenting on Russia’s disagreement with the idea of deploying a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine, he emphasized that “we will do everything that corresponds to our national interest and what truly guarantees Ukraine’s security in the long term.”

“We are not satisfied with just the absence of combat operations. Peace is not just the absence of war,” stressed the minister.

Sybiha said that Ukraine and its partners’ efforts are aimed at achieving a sustainable, long-term, and just peace while preventing the renewal of Russian aggression in the long term.

“We now have a clear, firm coalition, which means that Ukraine is not alone,” the Ukrainian foreign minister emphasized.

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Ukraine’s peacekeeping mission enters Implementation phase, foreign minister says