Lithuania calls for security guarantees before considering troop deployment to Ukraine

According to LRT, she stated, "We could certainly help Ukraine with instructors, without a doubt. At this moment, we are not discussing sending any military contingents to Ukraine."  

She added that the issue of EU peacekeepers in Ukraine is still under discussion. Skaisgirytė also emphasized that before Europe decides to deploy peacekeepers, ways to ensure their safety must be found.  

"EU countries could send peacekeepers to Ukraine, but the issue is the safety and lives of these peacekeepers. We certainly do not want to lose our troops, so we must think about how to protect them," the advisor stressed.  

"For this, an agreement between both sides (Russia and Ukraine) is needed. Theoretically, such an agreement is possible, but I doubt it would be viable in practice," Skaisgirytė noted.

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.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated that Sweden does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war peacekeeping mission.