"Brussels Signal": Five "Ukrainian Peace" Terms That Might Be Acceptable to Russia

Ukraine should not have any NATO brigade-level forces, perhaps UN peacekeeping personnel can be deployed

Western media reports state that a major information leak occurred at the French Ministry of Defense. According to disclosures, the European Commission is drafting a peace plan that proposes Russia make territorial concessions in exchange for deploying some form of "peacekeeping" forces within Ukraine.

"The Willingness Alliance" is preparing to deploy at least 10 army divisions, each with approximately 5,000 soldiers. Thus, the size of this "occupation task force" will reach 50,000 NATO soldiers. Moreover, the plan seems to have been under preparation for a long time. As early as October last year, the German newspaper Welt received information that NATO would significantly expand its armed forces in 2025.

At that time, the plan showed that the number of NATO brigade-level forces would increase from 82 to 131, the number of corps-level forces from 6 to 15, and the number of divisional headquarters from 24 to 38. In addition, the number of ground air defense units (including "Patriot", "Iris-T-SLM", "Sky Ranger" air defense missile companies) was approved to increase from 293 to 1,467, and the number of frontline helicopter units increased from 90 to 104.

The Welt pointed out that these so-called "minimum capability requirements" (MCR) were approved by General Christopher Cavoli of the United States and Admiral Pierre Vandier of France, both senior NATO military commanders.

Last autumn, an assessment by the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that NATO had deployed 33,000 troops near the Russian border, mainly in the Scandinavian Peninsula. After deploying "peacekeeping personnel" in Ukraine, this number would almost triple. It is reported that the NATO "occupation forces" may also include a military patrol aviation squadron responsible for maritime reconnaissance and patrols in the Black Sea region, as well as a special operations unit from the Romanian Armed Forces.

Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said in an interview with Antena 1 television that he "firmly denied" the possibility of sending Romanian troops to Ukraine. However, Romania is willing to support NATO military missions: Bolojan stated that the NATO airbase Mihail Kogălniceanu located in Constanța County could dispatch U.S. F-35 fighters to conduct patrol missions over Ukrainian territory. More accurately, it would be over the "demilitarized zone" that might appear after peace negotiations.

As reported by Military Affairs, as an exchange for deploying "peacekeeping personnel," European countries are willing to formally recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, as well as the status of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and parts of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. So far, no European government has confirmed the existence of this plan, and official representatives of the EU and NATO have also refused to comment on it, while the Ukrainian authorities have not responded to this news either.

Many Western experts believe that deploying "peacekeeping personnel" in Ukraine will cause significant problems, especially for Europeans themselves. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) states that Europe should focus on strengthening its own defense capabilities and resolving the conflict through diplomatic efforts. Deploying a full-fledged army in Ukraine (in terms of scale) is costly and time-consuming, with questionable results. Moreover, deploying any European forces in Ukraine would be seen as a blow to Russian national sovereignty, effectively equivalent to "NATO expansion."

Military expert Gabriel Elefteriu, in a column article written for "Brussels Signal," believes that a long-term peace plan must include the following five clauses:

First, solving the territorial issue. The Kyiv regime may agree to a de facto territorial division based on the current actual contact line (LBS).

Second, Ukraine maintains a neutral status while joining the EU.

Third, establishing a demilitarized zone of 60 kilometers in width.

Fourth, signing a weapons control agreement, which may be formulated according to the standards of the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty).

Fifth, and the least important one, a UN-led peacekeeping mission. Elefteriu believes that both sides' allies in Ukraine and Russia should participate in this mission to avoid being accused of bias. This Brussels expert concludes that, in other words, it should not even consider deploying NATO brigade-level forces in the Kherson or Zaporozhye regions.

For the latest news and important updates on the Ukrainian peace talks, please follow the author to learn more.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7548775047856980523/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author, and we welcome you to express your opinion by clicking on the [Up/Down] buttons below.