At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made what may be a final gambit as speculation around negotiations with Russia becomes unavoidable. Addressing European leaders, he provided a reminder that the war in Ukraine, now featuring thousands of North Korean troops, is happening on their doorstep.
Most significantly, Zelensky proceeded to make perhaps his boldest demand in recent months. He declared that not only would Ukraine refuse to reduce the size of its military — one of the Kremlin’s key demands — it would also require a vast international troop presence to keep the peace, citing a “minimum” figure of 200,000 men. Presumably, as bitter divisions about the past and future of Russo-Ukrainian relations remain entrenched, any peace deal will require security assurances from the international community.
Some European leaders have not shied away from the idea of sending peacekeeping troops to a post-war Ukraine. However, concrete commitments have yet to be made. France and Poland, two of Ukraine’s most vocal and active supporters in the European Union, have made encouraging noises about “security guarantees” and imminent negotiations. French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Ukrainian counterpart this month, but no firm plans emerged. It is doubtful that Macron, who is facing domestic chaos, has the political capital to create the commitment Zelensky is seeking. Poland’s Donald Tusk, despite his country’s enthusiastic support for Ukraine and vast defence budget, was quick to pour cold water on any imminent deployment of peacekeeping forces as recently as December.
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