Today at 20:03
Berlin continues to insist that it is too early to plan in detail the deployment of a foreign military contingent in Ukraine after a possible ceasefire.
The position of the acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was reiterated at a briefing on Friday by the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Hebestreit, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The Chancellor’s position on this issue is relatively clear: he has always said that he considers this discussion premature. We are still very far from a resolution of the conflict or a peace agreement,” Hebestreit said.
According to him, after reaching a peace agreement, it will be necessary to see what it will look like and under what mandates possible security forces can be deployed. Among other conditions, the spokesman mentioned is whether it would be a ceasefire monitoring along a buffer zone “between two heavily armed armies” or some kind of UN “Blue Helmet” mission; which partner countries would be involved; and to what extent it would be acceptable to all parties involved. In addition, the Chancellor has repeatedly stressed that “there is a need for a Transatlantic security architecture, so the Americans must also be involved, otherwise it would weaken NATO”.
Hebestreit also recalled that a mandate is needed for the Bundeswehr to deploy abroad. This means that the German Bundestag would have to approve the move. But the first step, the spokesman reiterated, is to establish a fair and just peace, not one that is dictated.
The government representative did not rule out that the issue of peacekeepers could somehow be raised during a London meeting on Sunday, March 2, which will be attended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, heads of a number of other European states and governments, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Antonio Costa.
As reported, the UK and France have laid down a plan for the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine after the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement and seek to enlist the support from Donald Trump. The U.S. President, during a joint press conference with Keir Starmer, expressed the opinion that the deployment of American troops to support Ukraine would not be necessary, and that British peacekeepers can do on their own. At the same time, Trump assured Starmer that he would always stand with the British people if they “need help.”
