Security guarantees for Ukraine have nothing to do with peacekeeping forces in war zone — expert

Military expert Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network and expert at the Center for Army, Conversion, and Disarmament Studies, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“The Ukrainian nation itself can guarantee security and peace in Ukraine. There should be no illusions about bringing in peacekeepers from Brazil, Argentina, Jamaica, or other countries that may volunteer. If China is allowed to participate, many Global South countries could step in and offer their services. Peacekeepers are forces that can ensure a certain ceasefire regime and other aspects of preventing direct military clashes along the contact line or within a demilitarized zone. That’s it. Peacekeepers do not engage in anything beyond that.

Moreover, any peacekeeping mission — whether peacekeeping or peacemaking — is classified differently within the UN system. In Ukrainian, these terms are not distinguished, but in the UN classification, peacemaking refers to enforcing peace, while peacekeeping means maintaining peace, ensuring adherence to a ceasefire, and so on,” Samus explained.

He emphasized that in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, any deployment of stabilization forces or a monitoring mission would require the consent of both Russia and Ukraine.

“Because in reality, what peacekeeping forces could prevent Russia and Ukraine from continuing the war? None. Whether it’s 150,000 or even a million peacekeepers positioned along the 1,200-kilometer frontline, drones like Shahed and Ukrainian UAVs or missiles would still fly overhead if there’s a need to strike Russian territory. Stopping the war requires political will. That’s why, instead of peacekeepers, I would advocate for a multinational monitoring mission. Its sole purpose would be to monitor the situation along the contact line or the demilitarized zone — whatever it ends up being called — to ensure that both sides, Russia and Ukraine, adhere to the ceasefire.

Security guarantees, however, are a completely separate issue. They have nothing to do with a peacekeeping contingent or monitoring forces in the conflict zone,” the expert concluded.

Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine: what’s known

At the end of January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that at least 200,000 peacekeepers would be needed to ensure Ukraine’s security after the cessation of hostilities. Later, he clarified that U.S. troops should be included in the peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

On February 11, The New York Times reported that Europe does not have 200,000 peacekeepers available to send to Ukraine — this number is nearly three times the size of the entire British army. On the same day, Zelenskyy stated that the mission could operate if 100,000–150,000 European troops were deployed.

According to The Associated Press, a group of European countries is secretly developing a plan to send troops to Ukraine. Previously, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that international partners were already working on the idea of a peacekeeping mission.

On February 17, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that he was ready to deploy peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.