Britain and France eagerly propose sending forces to protect Ukraine after ceasefire, German general not confident EU can handle peacekeeping mission

Britain and France are leading efforts to create a "European security force" of fewer than 30,000 troops to protect Ukraine following a ceasefire deal with Russia.

German General Erich Vad said that the EU does not have the political and military capacity to carry out peacekeeping missions in Ukraine without the active participation of the US. (Source: X)

On February 20, The Guardian quoted unnamed Western officials as saying that the British-French proposal would likely focus on air and sea defense, with "minimal" ground forces and not deployed near the eastern front line.

Meanwhile, The Times reported that US support in the form of "air cover" would be essential to the plan, aimed at preventing Russia from violating any agreement.

A French source, who confirmed part of the information to AFP , said Paris was working with European countries to implement security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement. The source also said France would play a "supporting" role in the proposal.

It is unclear whether these moves will meet Kiev's demands, while on the Russian side, the same day, the Kremlin spokesman affirmed that any British plans to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping mission would be unacceptable to Moscow.

According to Mr. Peskov, this involves forces from a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and therefore will have an impact on Russia's security.

Meanwhile, the former military adviser to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made an important assessment of the possibility of deploying a European Union (EU) peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

General Erich Vad, with his extensive military consulting experience, asserted that the EU does not have the political and military capacity to carry out this task without the active participation of the United States, along with the important fact that Russia will not accept the presence of a unilateral European military force in Ukraine.

According to his assessment, the US seems to be expecting financial support from the EU in the reconstruction of Ukraine rather than a direct military role.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/anh-phap-sot-sang-de-xuat-dua-luc-luong-den-bao-ve-ukraine-sau-ngung-ban-tuong-duc-khong-tu-tin-eu-dam-duong-duoc-nheem-vu-gin-giu-hoa-binh-305135.html