Proposed European peacekeeping force in Ukraine could respond if attacked by Russia, Macron says

The Associated Press reported the information.

“If there was again a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would, in fact, be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement. Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it,” said Macron.

He said the proposed European forces wouldn’t be stationed on the frontlines in Ukraine, “nor be engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces.” They would “be forces that dissuade the Russians from attacking again.”

“And by holding important towns, strategic bases, mark the clear support from several European governments and allies. So we are not on the frontlines, we don’t go to fight, but we are there to guarantee a lasting peace. It’s a pacifist approach. The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression,” the French president emphasized.

Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine

At the end of January, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that at least 200,000 peacekeepers would be needed to secure Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities. Later, the president clarified that among the peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, there should be U.S. military personnel.                  

On February 11, the NYT reported that there are no 200,000 peacekeepers in Europe who could be sent to Ukraine. This is almost three times the size of the entire British army. On the same day, Zelenskyy said that the mission would work if 100,000 to 150,000 European troops were deployed.

According to AP, a group of European countries is secretly developing a plan to send troops to Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump supported the deployment of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine but noted that the U.S. would not participate.

According to French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, European countries are currently discussing only the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine, not their number.

The Rheinmetall concern is ready to offer its products to support an international peacekeeping mission after the full-scale war in Ukraine ends.

On March 16, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, stated that the Kremlin would consider the deployment of Western peacekeepers to Ukraine as a declaration of war with NATO.

On March 21, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that his country could send peacekeepers to Ukraine only under the United Nations flag.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a UN peacekeeping mission cannot be an alternative to a military contingent or security guarantees.