Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that a meeting will be held later this week to discuss the possible deployment of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. During a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv, Zelenskyy revealed that the meeting will take place on Friday and involve military teams from several countries. The discussions will focus on the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent with land, air, and sea capabilities.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that the Friday meeting would be the first in-depth discussion on the matter, following previous consultations. Zelenskyy expressed hopes that the meeting would clarify the details and next steps regarding the proposed mission, noting that the talks would be based on proposals prepared by Ukraine.
The potential peacekeeping mission is being spearheaded by France and the UK under a “coalition of the willing,” which convened a summit in Paris on March 27 with representatives from over 30 countries. However, Russia has voiced strong opposition to the deployment of such a mission, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arguing that it would only escalate the conflict and prevent efforts to bring about peace.
