Ukraine’s representative in a subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, the former Prime Minister, former Minister of Defense, and former Chairperson of the National Security and Defense Council, Yevhen Marchuk, does not see the possibility a United Nations peacekeeping mission being deployed to the Donbas, as he discussed on the Fifth channel on Tuesday, January 2.

“Frankly speaking, I have little hope that the peacekeeping personnel will help resolve anything in the immediate future,” Marchuk said.

Marchuk noted that he contemplated two different types of peacekeeping missions in Donbas: one tasked with upholding the peace and another with compelling the parties to peace, and the second means the peacekeepers are allowed to use weapons against peace-breakers or in self-defense.

Marchuk said that given the numerous statements made at all levels regarding the deployment, including those with actual power in the self-styled Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics who opposed the suggestion from Ukraine to deploy peacekeepers, he did not see any opportunity for the deployment of the personnel any time soon.

“It does not mean, though, that the question should be taken off the agenda and President Poroshenko did the right thing when he raised this question at the UN General Assembly,” Marchuk said.

As it was earlier reported, the Russian stance on the deployment of UN personnel to Donbas was that the peacekeepers must be deployed to protect the OSCE mission which already operates in the Donbas.

Ukraine does not want Russia to be part of the future peacekeeping mission of the UN in the Donbas.

  peacekeeping mission, Donbas, UN

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