Britain is considering proposing to the United States a plan to deploy 30,000 European Union peacekeepers to Ukraine. The initiative would see the European contingent protect strategic Ukrainian cities that are key hubs for international aid and logistics. But experts say it could be a difficult move, with several factors casting doubt on the plan's success.
Based on Russia's statements that it will not agree to the fact that peacekeepers include representatives of NATO countries, or Russia's agreement to agree on the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent, as the experience of 2016-2017 shows, this is impossible, so it currently seems unlikely
He also emphasizes that recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as Poland, about refusing to send troops to Ukraine, indicate that the United Kingdom itself, which has only 70,000 troops, will not be able to implement this plan.
"That is, it is still difficult to understand where these numbers came from, given that the first summit he convened was devoted mainly to discussing the population of peacekeepers, and there were no agreements, neither from Italy, nor from Poland, nor from the majority of Ukraine. That is, all this looks like just an attempt to find out the point of view of politicians and society. Therefore, it is premature to talk about the realism of this plan," the analyst adds.
Regarding the effectiveness of the plan, Yali believes that it is too early to talk about the realism of this initiative. At the same time, the expert recalled that President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine needs 200,000 peacekeepers to ensure peace.
According to Yali, it is currently difficult to predict exactly where the peacekeepers will be located.
Usually they should be deployed along the contact line. But you see, now there are options that in Poltava, in Kryvyi Rih, in Dnipro they will be located not on the contact line
What is known so far?
Details of Keith Starmer's peace plan, according to unofficial information, provide for the deployment of a 30,000-strong contingent of peacekeepers in Ukraine. These peacekeepers would not take part in hostilities, but would be directed to protect strategic cities such as Poltava, Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, as well as ports and infrastructure facilities, including nuclear power plants.
The European military could allegedly perform technical monitoring functions, conducting reconnaissance using aircraft, satellites and drones. In addition, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph, it is planned to patrol the Black Sea. The peacekeepers will be equipped with weapons and technical means to repel possible attacks from Russia.
And the US could at the same time provide fighter jets and missiles to protect European peacekeepers and important facilities in Ukraine from Russian air attacks. In particular, we are talking about aircraft based in Poland and Romania.
