Germany may participate in peacekeeping mission after ceasefire in Ukraine - mass media
Kyiv • UNN
Germany's defense minister has announced the country's possible participation in securing a future ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Specific details of the peacekeeping mission have not yet been discussed due to the absence of cease-fire talks.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday that his country is likely to play a role in securing a future ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but that it is too early to say what a peacekeeping force will look like, reports UNN citing Reuters.
Speculation that Europe could intervene in Ukraine if a ceasefire with Russia is reached has intensified as countries await the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January.
Trump has made it clear that he will seek an immediate ceasefire to end the conflict and that he sees Europeans as responsible for ensuring security on his continent.
Trump on ending the war in Ukraine: there is a little progressDec 16 2024, 05:26 PM • 43361 view
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Pistorius echoed other European politicians, saying it was too early to decide on any troop presence in Ukraine because there had been no negotiations or prospect of a cease-fire.
“If there is a cease-fire, then of course the Western community, the NATO partners, potentially the United Nations and the European Union will have to discuss how that peace, that cease-fire can be achieved,” he said. “And obviously Germany as Europe's largest economy will have a role to play there.
Pistorius added that he could not yet say what such a role might mean, as it depends on the terms and conditions of the ceasefire and the potential mandate for a peacekeeping force.
He emphasized that it should also be clearly understood that both Ukraine and Russia had adopted such a mandate.
“You can understand from my answer that there are many more questions than answers right now. And that is why I cannot give you a definitive answer,” he said.
