Germany Must Secure International Mandate for Peacekeeping in Ukraine
German opposition leader and potential next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has underscored that the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine remains distant. He made these remarks while discussing potential security guarantees for Ukraine to facilitate a peaceful resolution to its conflict with Russia, as reported by Die Zeit.
Merz emphasized, "I can’t envision any progress in this direction [providing security guarantees] today, as we’re still far from any such ceasefire." He believes these issues need to be addressed in the coming weeks or months.
Crucially, Merz advises that Germany should obtain an international legal mandate to participate in peacekeeping operations within Ukrainian territories. He stated, "If there’s a peace agreement and Ukraine needs security guarantees, we can only discuss this with an ideal international legal mandate. I don’t see that yet."
Beyond this, Merz also floated the idea of supplying Ukraine with Taurus air-to-surface missiles. He acknowledged that three nations—US, France, and the UK—have already delivered similar weaponry to Ukraine without becoming embroiled in the conflict themselves. Merz positioned Taurus missiles as "building blocks for restoring peace in Ukraine."
Earlier this month, Merz held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
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