Peacekeeping mission in Ukraine: The Netherlands adopted an important resolution
18 February 21:54
On February 18, the Dutch parliament approved a resolution in support of the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, subject to a ceasefire agreement. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the NOS edition.
This decision is in line with ongoing discussions between European countries on the formation of a peacekeeping mission to monitor and enforce any future ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans emphasized the difficulty of reaching unanimous agreement among all 27 EU member states on such a mission. He suggested that, given the urgency of the issue, a coalition of willing countries could act without full unanimity. Brekelmans emphasized the need to involve many countries, especially large ones, to effectively monitor the broad ceasefire line in Ukraine.
The Dutch parliament’s approval reflects a broader European debate on the deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine. While the UK and France have shown willingness to provide troops, other countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, remain cautious. Concerns range from a potential escalation in relations with Russia to the logistical challenges of such an operation.
In this regard, European leaders gathered in Paris for emergency talks, emphasizing the need to increase defense spending to strengthen the continent’s security capabilities. However, disagreements remain over the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, with some countries advocating immediate action and others calling for caution.
To recap, up to 200,000 peacekeepers are needed to ensure the stability of the demarcation line in Ukraine. This figure was voiced by Maria Zolkina, a political expert at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
“There is no such number of armed forces in Europe that would allow sending the 200 thousand that Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned to Ukraine. Given the experience of international conflict resolution, in order for a demarcation line as long as in Ukraine to be stable, the initial figure of 200 thousand, which frightened European partners, is close to reality,” Zolkina said.
The expert pointed out that despite the fact that after 2014 Ukraine did not officially ask for or promote the idea of peacekeepers in Donbas, experts still developed such a scenario. At that time, it was said that 30,000 to 40,000 peacekeepers were needed for the then existing demarcation line, which was several times smaller than the one we see now.
According to Zolkina, the European countries with the largest armies could hypothetically send a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine. These are Germany, France and Poland.
