The Russian invasion troops are still fighting in Ukraine, and there are still – officially – no negotiations on at least a ceasefire. But this would be the first step towards a lasting peace, which many in the Western world at least hope for. So it is currently still a hypothetical question as to who should monitor that a ceasefire is observed if it comes to it.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock caused a stir on Tuesday over this issue. On the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, she said without being asked that various elements of peace in Ukraine were being discussed. She explained that in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, in addition to security guarantees such as NATO membership, there would also be “an international presence” in place – in order to secure that ceasefire.
When asked, the Green politician said that Germany would support everything “that promotes peace in the future” with “all our strength”. The statement was interpreted in such a way that Baerbock believes that German soldiers could be involved in securing peace.
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz has now positioned himself differently. The CDU leader said on Wednesday evening on the ARD program “Maischberger” that he considers such speculation to be irresponsible at this point. Merz emphasized: “Nobody is asking this question at the moment.“
The war in Ukraine is ongoing, and the troops of ruler Vladimir Putin continue to use brutal force against the civilian population. “We are all struggling with the question of how to end this war,” said the CDU leader. The question is how this can be achieved.
According to information from the dpa news agency, Baerbock also addressed the issue of an international presence in a working session with other foreign ministers. She made it clear that if the worst came to the worst, the question of participation would also arise for Germany and the other alliance partners.
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The new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had already said at the weekend that she considered it conceivable that European soldiers would secure a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. According to them, the soldiers for this could also come from countries that had already expressed themselves open to discussions about sending troops in the past. These include, for example, France or the Baltic states.
How does Trump behave on the issue of Ukraine?
On this issue, the EU and NATO are looking forward to the change of power in the USA, where Donald Trump will become president again on January 20th. The Republican had repeatedly said he would quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has not yet outlined exactly how he wants to do this. In Brussels it is considered conceivable that he could pressure Moscow and Kiev to agree to a ceasefire soon after he takes office.
On Wednesday in the Bundestag, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) tried to downplay the public statements made by his Foreign Minister in a questioning in the Bundestag. She was asked what would happen “in a later phase of peace”. “And actually she just tried not to say yes or no.”
The Chancellor himself only ruled out sending German soldiers at this point in time. “I think it is impossible for us to send troops or German soldiers to Ukraine in the current situation.” He said this “in agreement with the Federal Foreign Minister.”
The CDU foreign policy expert Röttgen told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” about Baerbock’s statements that he had no understanding for hasty and frivolous speeches about German and European military operations. The minister’s comments were “thoughtless”. BSW boss Wagenknecht told “Spiegel” that Baerbock’s suggestion was definitive proof that she was hopelessly overwhelmed in her position.
The military representative Eva Högl also contradicted Baerbock. “There is currently no basis for a peace mission and the deployment of NATO ground troops,” Högl told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “It is therefore not appropriate at this point in time to speculate about the possible involvement of the Bundeswehr.”
The Bundeswehr’s current task is to continue to provide Ukraine with the best possible support through material and training in order to increase Ukraine’s chances of victory and peace.
On the other hand, support came from SPD foreign politician Roth. He told the “t-online” portal: “If there is a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, we must clarify in advance how this can be secured sustainably. Otherwise there is a risk that Russia will use the time to rearm again and attack again soon.”
The Green politician Hofreiter said that a possible ceasefire must be ensured by as many states as possible. He brought up a robust UN mandate – and emphasized that the EU and Germany should also take part in an armed UN mission.