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Zelenskyy says security guarantee would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President

21 January 2025 22:57 (UTC +04:00)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal, APA reports citing Reuters.

The Ukrainian leader, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland a day after Trump returned to power following months of promises to end the war in Ukraine quickly, also urged European leaders to do more to defend the continent.

"From all the Europeans? 200,000, it's a minimum. It's a minimum, otherwise it's nothing," Zelenskyy said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent on an interview panel after delivering his speech.

That number is around the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 by France's defence ministry in 2020. Zelenskyy said at least that number would be needed as a security guarantee if Russia's armed forces totalled 1.5 million personnel and Ukraine had only half that number.

Zelenskyy said such a force would only be part of the security guarantees that Ukraine needed