Zelenskyy raises prospect of European peacekeepers in Ukraine

Brussels: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that he had discussed with European leaders the possibility of sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or peace deal, as the country's allies consider options on how to help Kyiv end the fighting with Russia on favorable terms.

But the Ukrainian leader added that deploying peacekeepers would not be enough to ensure the country's long-term security, and that only NATO membership could secure Ukraine against future Russian attacks.

"As long as Ukraine is not in NATO, this aspect can be considered," Zelenskyy said of the peacekeeper idea, after a meeting with European counterparts in Brussels.

The notion of peacekeepers has been greeted with skepticism in several European capitals; Zelenskyy said no decision had yet been taken on sending them and emphasized that any such move would require careful consideration.

"If we're talking about a contingent, we need to know specifically how many, what they will do and how they will respond if there's aggression from Russia," he said. "There's a lot to consider. We are discussing this topic. It's important that we raise these issues."

His remarks came at a meeting of European leaders at a one-day summit to discuss several issues, including Europe's relationship with the United States and the need for stability in Syria. The question of how European countries could step up support for Ukraine in Russia's war dominated the discussions.

That war has increasingly been taking a precarious turn. Ukrainian forces have been steadily losing ground, and Russian troops, aided by fighters from North Korea, are advancing with better equipment and in bigger numbers. With President-elect Donald Trump potentially poised to cut back U.S. assistance to Ukraine once he takes office in a month, European leaders have said they urgently need to deliver more air-defense systems and weapons to Ukraine.

On Wednesday night, Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, was host to Zelenskyy and several other European leaders, including from Germany, Italy and Denmark, at Rutte's residence.

Earlier Wednesday, Zelenskyy spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France. He said they discussed "the presence of forces in Ukraine that could contribute to stabilizing the path to peace." The peacekeeper proposal has gained traction in recent days after Trump reportedly pushed for it in a meeting in Paris with the Ukrainian leader and Macron.

Macron had previously floated the idea of European troops in Ukraine in February, possibly to train Ukrainian soldiers. Zelenskyy said earlier this month that Macron had revived the idea recently, suggesting that Western troops could be present on Ukrainian territory to guarantee a ceasefire while Ukraine is not a NATO member.

Zelenskyy suggested Thursday a path to conflict resolution in which Ukraine would discuss sending peacekeepers with its European partners, while continuing to press allies, especially the U.S., to be allowed to join NATO. "These security guarantees can be discussed separately with the U.S. and Europe," he said.

A few European countries, including Sweden and Italy, have not ruled out the option of deploying forces in Ukraine. But overall, many European capitals see it as a premature step while the war is still raging.

It is also unclear if European troops could ensure a ceasefire on their own in Ukraine, given Trump's reluctance to directly involve the U.S. Army in any peace settlement.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Rutte suggested that it was too early to discuss a plan for peacekeepers and that the West's focus should be on stepping up military support for Ukraine. The European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also said Thursday that the focus right now should be on how Europe could help strengthen Ukraine. "Any push for negotiations too soon will actually be a bad deal for Ukraine," she said.

Still, some European leaders are acknowledging the pressure to end the war.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany said Thursday that the war in Ukraine had been going on for a "very, very long time now."

"We have to get into a situation in which peace becomes possible," he said. "It must also be very clear that there must be no escalation of the war into a war between Russia and NATO."

On Thursday, European leaders also discussed how to more urgently deliver air defense systems, ammunition and missiles, as well as more training and support for Ukrainian forces, according to a draft of potential summit conclusions seen by The New York Times.

When asked about Trump's push for a quick peace deal in Ukraine, Alexander de Croo, the prime minister of Belgium, said Thursday that the priority was to push back the Russians. "First Ukraine has to win the war," he wrote on social media. "Once Ukraine has been able to push back the Russians then the EU will have to play its role to maintain peace and provide tangible security guarantees."