Western peacekeepers in Ukraine could retaliate against Russian attacks post-ceasefire, Merz says
Western troops deployed in Ukraine as part of post-ceasefire security guarantees could potentially retaliate against future Russian attacks, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Dec. 16.
"We would secure a demilitarized zone between the belligerent parties and, to be specific, we would also move against corresponding Russian violations and attacks," Merz said in an interview with the ZDF television channel.
The comments come amid signals that the U.S. and European allies are willing to offer NATO-like security guarantees to Kyiv as part of a proposed peace agreement with Russia.
"The fact that the Americans have made such a commitment, namely to protect Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire as if it were NATO territory, I think is a remarkable new position for the U.S.," Merz said.
According to a six-point proposal recently unveiled by European partners, the post-war guarantees would include a European-led, U.S.-backed multinational force deployed in Ukraine to bolster the country's military and help secure the seas and skies.
France, the U.K., and other countries have signalled willingness to contribute troops under the Coalition of the Willing, while German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke more cautiously, saying that key questions about the force's tasks remain unanswered.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that U.S. negotiators had promised, for the first time, to respond with military means if Russia were to violate a peace agreement.
European leaders have spoken optimistically about the outcomes of the talks President Volodymyr Zelensky and European officials held with U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Berlin on Dec. 14-15.
Zelensky acknowledged that "progress" has been made in several areas, namely on the topic of "Article 5-like" security guarantees, but warned that there is still no consensus on territorial issues.
Moscow has so far shown no willingness to compromise on its maximalist demands, specifically, a ban on Kyiv's entry into NATO and full control over the entire Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
