Finland says it is ready to send peacekeepers to the Donbas
If an agreement is reached concerning a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine under the aegis of the UN, Finland should take part in it, as stated by the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, at the Munich Security Conference, Yle reports.
"This is one of the most serious problems in Europe, that is why if there is even a small opportunity to resolve the crisis, Finland should take part in the settlement of this crisis," he stated at a meeting with Finnish journalists in Munich. At the same tine Niinistö commented on the initiative of Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of NATO, who offered countries outside the Alliance to take part in a peacekeeping mission. He mentioned Finland, Sweden, and Austria as an example of such countries. According to the Finnish President, it would be hard to gather 20,000 peacekeepers from such a small number of countries, however, he welcomes all possible proposals to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
Earlier, Sweden’s Defence Minister, Peter Hultqvist, stated that if Russia and the West agree, his country is ready to provide their troops for the UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine, if necessary.