Ukraine could let in European peacekeepers as part of peace deal to end the war, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “may consider” letting European nations deploy peacekeeping troops in his country as part of a deal to end the war with Russia.

Negotiations for a peace deal have not even begun, but Zelensky has been talking about what it would take to protect the country from further Russian aggression if he agrees to stop fighting.

The proposal — floated last winter by French President Emmanuel Macron — would put boots on the ground in Ukraine to help enforce a peace agreement. Zelensky said it would only be a short-term measure to guarantee security while the country works to join NATO.

“I’m telling you frankly — we can work on Emmanuel’s proposal. He proposed that troops of this or that country could be present on Ukrainian territory to guarantee security while Ukraine is not in NATO,”  Zelensky said Monday after meeting with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Zelensky met with with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Monday and discussed the peacekeeper plan AP

“But first, we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and NATO,” he added.

For more than a decade, Ukraine has been seeking to join NATO — which guarantees universal defense against enemy invasion, originally envisioned as an attack by Moscow during the Cold War.

While the current war with Russia has stalled its efforts — if Ukraine were to join now, alliance members would be obligated to join the fight against the Kremlin — NATO officials have said the country is on an “irreversible” path towards membership.

But it has not yet received the final step of an official invitation.

President Elect Donald Trump met with Zelensky in Paris over the weekend and called for a ceasefire to end “that ridiculous war,” adding that he was “formulating a plan” to bring it to a close.

Peacekeepers deployed to Ukraine is reportedly a part of that plan, with Germany throwing its weight behind the idea.

Zelenksy stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t quit the war until the he is forced to Anadolu via Getty Images

But Zelensky feels that until Trump takes office in January there is little he can do. In the meantime, he said that he’s planning to call President Biden soon to discuss joining NATO once and for all.

“It is difficult to talk to President Trump about it because he is not yet in the White House. He does not have the authority,” Zelensky said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin will need a considerable amount of pressure to give up the war.

“I stressed to both President Macron and President Trump — you will see that Putin does not want to end this war. He must be forced to do it,” Zelensky said.

“He can be forced to do it only when Ukraine is strong. This means being strong on the battlefield, having a strong army, having military packages,” he said, adding that long-range missile systems and other advanced weaponry are still needed to strengthen Ukraine’s position.