Germany May Consider Sending Troops to Ukraine
Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, said on January 18 that the country may consider deploying its troops in a peacekeeping mission to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. This comes as European countries are preparing to play a greater role in Kyiv’s defense once US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Pistorius mentioned that Germany is open to the idea of sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement. He said, “We’re the largest NATO partner in Europe. We’ll obviously have a role to play.”
Other European countries are also considering deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. The UK and France are reportedly discussing the possibility of sending troops to monitor a ceasefire along the front line in Ukraine.
The idea of a European peacekeeping force was first floated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding future peacekeepers. Zelensky has said that Ukraine would only consider foreign peacekeepers if it secures a clear timeline for NATO membership.
Some German politicians have also commented on the issue of deploying Bundeswehr troops to Ukraine. Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker from the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said that Berlin should not rule out the possibility, while Friedrich Merz, the opposition CDU/CSU alliance’s candidate for chancellor, said that Germany could join a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine but only with Russia’s consent.
The matter will be discussed further in due time.
