Lukashenko proposes Belarusian peacekeepers for Ukraine mission
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko stated that Belarusian troops should be sent to Ukraine to act as a peacekeeping contingent. "Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to support the arrival of Western troops," the dictator said.
The Belarusian dictator, who assisted Putin in attacking Ukraine in February 2022, claimed that he could send his troops in the capacity of a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine.
"As for Russia and [Western] peacekeeping forces on the demarcation line, this is a matter to decide for the Russian president. I don't think he will be happy. They will decide at the negotiations whether to send any peacekeepers there. They [in the West] want it to be a five-digit figure: 50,000-70,000 people. This is a big number," Lukashenko said.
"Only Minsk will be able to ensure normal relations"
In his opinion, Moscow and Kyiv can agree only on the presence of Belarusian peacekeeping forces "in the name of trust and justice" because soldiers from other countries "would only lean towards the West or the East."
"But only Belarusians can ensure normal relations between the middle and older brothers [Russia and Ukraine – ed.]'," said the self-proclaimed president of Belarus.
However, Lukashenko immediately added: "This does not mean that I will send my army as peacekeeping forces, 70,000 and position them there."
According to him, he is "not eager" to send soldiers to Ukraine and has no plans to send "his people" there. However, he noted that the issue of introducing peacekeeping forces to Ukraine will be the subject of "very serious discussion."
"Whoever is weaker will agree to these options," Lukashenko concluded.
Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine: Up to 220,000 soldiers
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that after the end of hostilities, at least 220,000 peacekeeping forces would be needed to ensure the country's security.
"This is the minimum, otherwise it will fail," he emphasized. Later, participants of consultations between Kyiv and its Western partners informed the Financial Times that Ukrainian authorities expect the West to deploy 40,000 to 50,000 foreign soldiers along the 1,000-kilometre front line to resolve the conflict with Russia.
According to data from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), former U.S. President Donald Trump showed interest in introducing peacekeeping forces to Ukraine but excluded the involvement of the American army. He believes the primary role in defending and supporting Ukraine should belong to Europe. Meanwhile, Zelensky insisted that American soldiers become part of the peacekeeping contingent to be deployed in the country.
The first proposal to send Western troops to Ukraine last February came from French President Emmanuel Macron. After this, European countries began discussing the possibility of taking such a step in case of halting military actions to monitor the observance of a ceasefire.
Later, information emerged that EU countries are conducting specific negotiations on sending a military contingent to Ukraine in the event of ending or freezing the war with Russia. According to Reuters sources, the minimum number for such a mission could be 40,000 soldiers, including contingents from five to eight countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Poland. European security services believe that to protect Ukraine against a recurrence of Russian aggression, 110,000 soldiers would be needed.
