Zelensky calls for 200,000 peacekeepers, rejects demands for troop reductions

At least 200,000 European peacekeepers will need to be deployed in Ukraine to prevent future Russian attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“Of all Europeans? 200,000 is a minimum. This is a minimum, otherwise it is nothing,” Zelensky said in response to a question about the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine after the end of the war.

According to him, such forces would only be part of the security guarantees that kyiv needs.

Zelensky stressed that ensuring the security of Ukraine and Europe after a possible ceasefire would require reliable guarantees, with a large peacekeeping contingent playing a key role.

The French Defense Ministry estimated that this number was equivalent to the 2020 total of its entire armed forces workforce.

Zelensky also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin could demand a five-fold reduction in the Ukrainian army, saying that “significantly reducing the size of the Ukrainian army” would become one of the key issues during possible peace negotiations .

“If we were able to build an army of more than 800,000 men, then, together with Europe, we would have the strength not only to defend ourselves but also to repel Putin,” Zelensky said, adding that kyiv would not give in to the demands to reduce its armed forces. .

“This is exactly what he (Putin) wants. We will not let this happen,” he said.

Zelensky also announced that Ukraine was working on organizing a meeting with the newly elected US president.