The Reservist Association of the German army has said it was open to German soldiers taking part in a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
The association’s president, Patrick Sensburg, told German newspaper Rheinische Post on August 18 that if such a mission would take place “under sensible conditions”, then Germany should move ahead and contribute “the biggest troop contingent”.
Sensburg also warned about necessary preconditions for such a contribution: “The discussion about the possible deployment of German soldiers in Ukraine falls far short of what is needed. The conditions are crucial for the deployment of a peacekeeping force.”
He cautioned: “Militarily, such a mission only makes sense if there is a demilitarised buffer zone between Russian soldiers and peacekeeping forces. This is important in order to detect Russian deployments at an early stage and then be able to counteract them accordingly.”
Russia, though, was currently not willing to grant such a buffer zone.
In the absence of a buffer zone, peacekeeping forces would have to outnumber the Russian army. “I consider this impossible with European forces,” Sensburg concluded.
Currently, a German participation in a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine seemed a long way off, according to German media.
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said on August 17 that Germany would have to play “an important part” in keeping an eventual peace in Ukraine.
The Christian Democratic Union MP also hinted that Germany might not be in a position actually to send troops to the country.
Wadephul mentioned the deployment of a German brigade to Lithuania to protect NATO’s Eastern flank, saying: “Doing that and also stationing troops in Ukraine would probably be too much for us.”
Commentators have criticised Wadephul for sending mixed messages about Germany’s contribution towards keeping the peace in Ukraine.
During a press conference in Japan on August 19, he said a peace agreement would require strong security guarantees for Ukraine. “We and the Americans are ready to provide those,” Wadephul said, but refrained from detailing any concrete German commitment when questioned by journalists.
