European NATO members should not be naive when considering a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, but should understand that tens of thousands of soldiers will have to be deployed there for a long time, writes Reuters.
US President Donald Trump has not abandoned the idea of playing a mediator role in the talks between Moscow and Kyiv, but has indicated that the United States will not send its troops to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have talked about deploying troops to Ukraine when the war is over, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also hinted that Germany could participate.
The head of the German Bundeswehr, Colonel Andre Wuestner, called on European leaders on the 21st of August to be honest about the challenges ahead, even if a quick ceasefire does not seem possible at the moment. Wuestner told Reuters that
it would not be enough to simply deploy a few generals and a few smaller units to Ukraine.
He added that from the very beginning, Europe must show Putin that it takes its peace guarantees seriously: “Take seriously supporting Ukraine, take seriously ensuring a ceasefire and take seriously our response if Putin tries to attack Ukraine again.”
According to the colonel, bluffing would be harmful and increase the risk of escalation. He stressed that each of the major countries in the so-called coalition of good will, such as France, Britain and Germany, should send at least 10,000 troops to Ukraine. This would be a major challenge, as the number of people serving in the armed forces is already insufficient.
Wustner said that Europe is a military dwarf, and is already struggling to achieve the goals agreed at the NATO summit: “Europe is still a long way from being able to defend itself independently.”
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