LJUBLJANA, February 26. /TASS/. Sending Western peacekeepers to Ukraine is perilous without Russia's consent, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said following a meeting in Ljubljana with his Slovenian counterpart Natasa Pirc Musar.
"What 30,000 peacekeepers? Where do they even exist? Let's imagine that Russia will agree to this, and it won't, so this is already becoming a mortal danger for those who have to go there," Milanovic said in a statement released by his office.
According to the Croatian president, even if the security and political circumstances allowed for the deployment of peacekeepers, it would have been impossible to gather such a large force. He said the fact that there are no commercial flights to Kiev, with only the train service remaining available, "clearly shows how much influence Russia wields." Milanovic said he believes that a Ukraine peace deal "will eventually be concluded between Washington and Moscow."
"No one will consult the EU or Kiev about anything," he said.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported, citing sources, that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on February 27 could provide Trump with a draft plan to deploy UK and French peacekeepers to Ukraine. According to the report, London and Paris would like to receive fire support from Washington if their peacekeepers end up in harm’s way. As part of the plan, Paris and London want to use ground forces, aviation and the navy.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Russia opposes the idea of a European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine and would view its deployment as a step toward escalation.