Zelensky Calls for the Deployment of a 200,000-Strong European Force to Protect Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for the deployment of at least 200,000 European troops to ensure Ukraine’s security and prevent a new invasion if a ceasefire agreement is reached with Russia, according to the AFP.
Zelensky, speaking during his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in an interview published on the presidency’s website, stated that “200,000 is the minimum. It is the minimum; otherwise, it means nothing.”
This is the first time a senior Ukrainian official has publicly mentioned such a number for a force, while discussions on the matter have been ongoing behind the scenes for several months between Kyiv and its Western allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron had proposed the idea of deploying Western forces in Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire agreement with Russia.
Russia has been conducting a military assault on Kyiv for three years, during which it has occupied about 20% of Ukraine’s territory in the east and south of the country.
Speculation has been circulating for weeks regarding possible negotiations to end the conflict, with questions about the stance of the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, whose country is the main supplier of military and financial aid to Ukraine.
Trump did not rule out the imposition of new sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate with Ukraine for a peace agreement to end the war.
Zelensky believes that Trump could impose “comprehensive sanctions” on Russia, particularly targeting the energy sector, and “give Ukraine all the weapons it requests” to confront Russia.
He added, “Except for nuclear weapons, of course; we are logical people.”
However, he said that ending the war, which has devastated Ukraine and claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, “will be extremely difficult for President Trump.”
He added, “We must all understand that Putin does not want to stop the war” before achieving his “primary goal, which is to end Ukraine’s independence,” stressing that “destroying it is his dream.”
He reiterated that his country “will not recognize” the occupied territories as Russian “even if all allies unite” to demand that, hinting that a concession might be made temporarily to stop hostilities.
He said, “There will be no forgiveness, no legal recognition, but we must do everything possible to end the hot phase of the war.”
