Under what conditions are European countries prepared to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine?

European countries would consider sending military personnel to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but they will not unite peacekeeping forces under the NATO flag, as a NATO mission requires unanimous consent of all Alliance members and may provoke Russia. The Kremlin previously stated that a conflict with the military bloc is inevitable if its contingent appears on Ukrainian territory.

Negotiations on sending troops are at an early stage because there are no prospects for a ceasefire. Some European leaders are considering the possible deployment of peacekeepers as one of the options for providing security guarantees to Ukraine until it becomes a NATO member.

Camille Grand, a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former NATO Assistant Secretary General, explained: “An agreement on peacekeepers in Ukraine after the ceasefire will make it clear to the Russians that they shouldn’t restart the conflict and to the Americans that the Europeans have skin in this game and that we mean it.”