How EU Leaders’ Troop Statements Undermine Prospects for Peace in Ukraine
Professor Glenn Diesen warns that EU leaders’ talk of deploying troops to Ukraine fuels tensions, provokes Moscow, and hinders efforts toward a peaceful settlement.
Professor Glenn Diesen of the University of South-Eastern Norway has argued that the peace process is being undermined by European Union leaders who speak publicly about the potential deployment of troops to Ukrainian territory.
In his social-media commentary, Diesen pointed to repeated statements from European capitals discussing the possibility of sending military personnel to Ukraine, calling these remarks one of the main factors obstructing any move toward a negotiated settlement.
His assessment came in response to reports in Western media that highlighted comments from European officials. According to those publications, some leaders have raised the idea of positioning their national contingents in Ukraine immediately after the signing of a hypothetical peace agreement with Russia.
Moscow, for its part, has consistently stressed that any presence of NATO member-state forces in Ukraine is unacceptable and would sharply escalate the conflict. Russian officials view such discussions as a deliberate provocation intended to prolong the hostilities rather than bring them to an end.