Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is seeking a meeting with US President Donald Trump, said that at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal.
The Ukrainian leader, speaking on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland a day after Trump returned to power following months of promises to end the war in Ukraine quickly, also urged European leaders to do more to defend the continent.
The prospect of a rapid settlement has focused minds in Kyiv and Europe on the urgent need for security guarantees to prevent any future Russian attack, with the idea of a peacekeeping force circulating.
“From all the Europeans? 200,000, it’s a minimum. It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” Zelensky said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent on an interview panel after delivering his speech.
That number is around the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 by France’s defence ministry in 2020.