German peacekeepers in Ukraine: Consensus with Russia is needed
Friedrich Merz, leader of the CDU/CSU and favorite for the post of German Chancellor (photo: Getty Images)
Friedrich Merz, leader of the German CDU/CSU bloc and a candidate for the post of chancellor, does not rule out the possibility of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine. But only if such a mandate is obtained in consensus with Russia, reports Die Zeit.
In particular, Merz once again defended the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. According to him, the United States, France and the United Kingdom are already supplying comparable weapons. “All three have not become belligerents. Taurus is a building block for restoring peace in Ukraine,” he said.
As for the possible deployment of German troops, he said that a mandate for Germany's participation in a peacekeeping mission is needed.
“If there is a peace agreement and if Ukraine needs security guarantees, we can discuss this only if there is an ideal mandate in accordance with international law. At the moment, I do not see it... I would like such a mandate to be in consensus with Russia, not in conflict,” Mertz emphasized.
At the same time, he added that he could not yet imagine what security assurances Germany could give Ukraine under his rule.
“The ceasefire is still far away. These are all issues that need to be clarified in the next few weeks, and possibly months,” the politician said.
It is believed that the idea of peacekeeping troops was originally proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that he is ready to consider such options, and recently called on Western partners to join Paris' initiative.
However, some political analysts believe that Macron is only acting within the policy of US President-elect Donald Trump, who is trying to shift the concerns about the situation in Ukraine to European countries. Read more in the article Will West send troops to Ukraine to end war with Russia?
Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that as long as the war in Ukraine continues, there will be no German peacekeeping contingent there.
According to Reuters, the idea of peacekeepers in Ukraine is still at an early stage of discussion in Europe. However, it is already assumed that the number of the contingent could range from 40 to 100 thousand people.
