Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea that a UN peacekeeping mission could serve as a viable deterrent against future Russian aggression.
“With all due respect, the UN will not protect us from occupation or [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s desire to come again,” Zelensky said during a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Kyiv.
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“We do not see the UN as an alternative to a contingent or security guarantees,” he said.
While Ukraine maintains working relations with the UN, the organization lacks a mandate to defend the country if Russia launches another attack, Zelensky said, who also questioned whether any potential military contingent would have such a mandate.
“But when there are troops, air defense, ships, planes, a serious army, and strong intelligence from our partners in Ukraine – attacking such an infrastructure becomes very dangerous for the Russians,” Zelensky said.
Given that Moscow’s repeated violations of international norms, it’s unlikely to fear a UN peacekeeping force, Zelensky added.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that French President Emmanuel Macron has been giving the UN-led mission to safeguard a future peace deal consideration.
He, alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have been exploring alternatives to deploying a European military force in Ukraine, The Telegraph reported.
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“It comes as the Prime Minister is showing signs of shifting his focus away from European ‘boots on the ground’ to secure a peace deal with Russia and is turning instead towards air and sea support to defend Ukraine,” The Telegraph wrote.
Macron and Starmer are leading efforts to form a “coalition of the willing” among NATO and EU nations, backed by hoped-for US security guarantees, to establish a peacekeeping force.
Starmer recently hosted senior military officials from around 30 countries in the UK to discuss the initiative.
While he stated the plan is moving into the “operational phase,” it remains unclear how many nations are willing to send troops or how the force would function.
At a European Council summit on Thursday, Macron reportedly raised the subject of a UN-led mission with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who attended as a guest.
British Special Forces ordered to be ready for deployment
Meanwhile, British Special Forces have reportedly been ordered to stand by for possible deployment to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, iNews reported, citing two military sources.
The UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment, citing its longstanding policy on Special Forces activity, and Kyiv Post could not independently verify the information.
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