President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that a well-funded, expanded Ukrainian military could eliminate the need for an international peacekeeping force in the country, highlighting a potential alternative approach to ensuring regional security.
In an interview with The Guardian, Zelenskyy expressed confidence in Ukraine’s armed forces, stating, “If we have the opportunity to seriously expand our army, if we have both weapons and finances for this, we can live without other contingents.”
The statement comes ahead of the Munich Security Conference when major talks are expected regarding the ways to guarantee Ukrainian and European security in case a ceasefire is achieved in the current Russia-Ukraine war.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the presence of peacekeepers would primarily benefit Europe by serving as a buffer against potential Russian aggression. “This is protection for Europe… because Putin will go to their countries after us. They need this,” Zelenskyy explained.
He argued against seeking Russian approval for European security arrangements, criticizing what he called “infantile conversations” about accommodating Russian preferences regarding military presence in the region. “Europe needs to defend itself because it’s Europe. And Russians are Russians. They need to be put in their place,” Zelenskyy stated.
This new position marks a shift from earlier proposals, where Zelenskyy had called for deploying at least 200,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine following any ceasefire agreement, with a specific emphasis on including US troops. The size of such a peacekeeping force would have been contingent on the scale of Ukraine’s military.
The statement suggests that with sufficient European funding and support for Ukraine’s military capabilities, the country could potentially serve as a robust security guarantee for the broader European region, reducing the need for an international peacekeeping presence.
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