Canada and the “coalition of the willing”: another “peacekeeper” needs security guarantees
6 March 2025 15:36
Canada is ready to join a peacekeeping mission initiated by the United Kingdom and France if a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine. This was stated by Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Wednesday during the annual forum of the Conference Board Institute in Ottawa, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing CBC.
Earlier, after a meeting of the allies in London, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his country was considering the best ways to help Ukraine. He emphasized that all options remain open.
However, Blair’s statement was more specific. The Defense Minister noted that active negotiations on this issue are underway.
“Canada is ready and able to contribute to this mission,”
– he told reporters after his speech. At the same time, Blair emphasized that additional discussions are needed on security guarantees for both Ukraine and foreign troops who will be involved in the operation.
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“Coalition of the willing”
The initiative is led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Its discussion intensified after a public conflict between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House.
The peacekeeping force led by the United Kingdom and France may include contingents from several European countries that will be deployed on the territory of Ukraine (but not on the contact line) in the event of a truce or peace agreement. It is expected that the presence of Western troops will be a deterrent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who could use the pause to regroup his forces and make a new attempt to conquer Ukraine.
However, the key issue remains the security guarantees for this mission, which are demanded by future peacekeepers, primarily from the United States. The absence of such guarantees has already become one of the reasons for the dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy, which arose over the mineral resources agreement between Ukraine and the United States.
Starmer said that the UK, France, and Ukraine are working on a peace agreement to be presented to Washington.
Reaction and prospects
Meanwhile, US Vice President J.D. Vance expressed skepticism about the initiative. He stated that American economic interests in Ukraine are “a better guarantee of security than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t been at war in the last 30-40 years.”
This statement drew sharp criticism both in the UK and among American Democrats. Vance was reminded that Canadian, British, and French troops fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom also participated in the invasion of Iraq.
The concept of a “coalition of the willing” implies that NATO member states will be able to act together, but not within the framework of the Alliance. This will avoid political contradictions, as Hungary and Slovakia have taken a pro-Russian position and are blocking consensus among the allies.
At the same time, the Baltic states-Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as well as Finland-have expressed interest in joining the British-French initiative. In addition, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that his country is also ready to consider the participation of its peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Moscow has already rejected the idea of deploying any peacekeeping force, whether from NATO, the EU, or any other format.
