President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that any effective peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine must include US troops, Bloomberg reports.
Zelenskyy addressed Donald Trump on this issue before his talks with Russia.
According to the Ukrainian president, European allies do not have enough troops to deter Russian dictator Putin, and any other solution could lead to a split within NATO.
British and French peacekeepers and security guarantees‘This cannot happen without the United States. Even if some European friends think it can be, no, it can't be. No one will take risks without the United States,’ Zelenskyy said.
He warned that without a long-term commitment from Western allies, Putin would use the ceasefire as an opportunity to rearm before launching a future offensive.
Regarding the negotiations with Russia, the President stressed that the Ukrainian side does not want this to happen behind its back. ‘I really believe that the United States will not do this, although I am not sure that this has not happened before. I'm talking here not only about America, but also about some European partners,’ Zelenskyy added.
- Ukraine is discussing the ‘French initiative on peacekeeping contingents’ with its partners, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 16 January following talks with Keir Starmer.
- Prior to that, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said that if Ukraine sent a request to Lithuania to deploy Western troops on its territory, including Lithuanian troops, Vilnius would agree.
- Subsequently, Keir Starmer made it clear that his country would be ready to deploy its peacekeeping forces in Ukraine if necessary.