European peacekeepers must be prepared to fight, says Ukraine

Any European peacekeepers deployed in Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire deal must be prepared to fight if needed, according to a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In recent weeks, the United Kingdom and France have led efforts to put together a 'coalition of the willing' nations to mobilise a peacekeeping force to enforce any ceasefire that’s reached between Ukraine and Russia. There are proposals to deploy warplanes and personnel on the ground, with the UK and France open to putting boots on the ground. However, no firm outline of such a force has yet emerged.

Amid such deliberations, Igor Zhovkva, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, said that the readiness to fight and defend a ceasefire if needed has to be an “inevitable part” of Europe’s security guarantees to Ukraine, according to The Daily Telegraph.

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“We don’t need a mere presence to showcase that Europe is present. It’s not the amount which matters… it’s also their readiness to fight, their readiness to defend, their readiness to be equipped, and their readiness to understand that Ukraine is an inevitable part of European security,” said Zhovkva, who is a top Ukrainian negotiator in ongoing peace talks.

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Zhovkva’s remarks came ahead of Thursday’s meeting in Paris where French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting European leaders , including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Polish PM Donald Tusk, and Nato chief Mark Rutte, to deliberate on the question of Ukraine’s security. The meeting comes within days of White House negotiating a Black Sea ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that Russia junked within hours.

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Within hours of White House announcing reaching an understanding with Ukraine and Russia, the Kremlin said the ceasefire would only come into effect when a slew of demands would be met , including the lifting of sanctions on some Russian entities and restoration of access to the SWIFT system.

In an apparent response to such a stand, Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Zelenskyy, said that Russia was playing games.

“We demonstrated we are very serious, the Americans understood…Russia is just playing games,” said Yermak.