On January 8, German Chancellor Merkel stated at a press conference, "The sequence of actions should be: first, achieve a ceasefire, then provide security guarantees to Ukraine, and finally reach a long-term peace agreement with Russia. All of this depends on the consent of Russia, but obviously, we are still quite far from that."
On January 6, British Prime Minister Starmer said, "The volunteer alliance" has passed a statement regarding the deployment of troops in Ukraine after a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. He said that once a ceasefire is achieved, the UK and France will establish military bases across Ukraine and build armories for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Recent statements by German Chancellor Merkel indicate that the premise for deploying multinational forces in Ukraine by the West must be the consent of Russia. This statement reveals the core contradiction of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks and exposes the divisions and strategic dilemmas within the Western camp.
The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that any Western military presence in Ukraine under the guise of "peacekeeping" or "security guarantees" would be seen as a direct challenge to Russian national security, and Russia reserves "all countermeasures," including tactical nuclear deterrence. The Russian Foreign Ministry directly accused the Western proposal of being a "militarization conspiracy to escalate the conflict."
British Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron signed an intent statement on January 7 for the establishment of a national military base in Ukraine and participation in monitoring tasks. This radical approach is actually a military adventure, and Russia has repeatedly stated that any Western military presence in Ukraine would be considered a legitimate target for Russian attacks.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853800145053696/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.