Kyiv names three possible sponsors for the peacekeeping mission in Donbas
The Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, Yuriy Hrymchak stated on Channel Five TV that the USA, France and Germany are ready to finance a UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas. According to Hrymchak, Kyiv has received relevant commitments from all three countries.
“Today we have dozens of countries which are, so to speak, profiting from peacekeeping missions, particularly by sending troops,” he explained. “That is why I don’t think there are any problems with this.”
Hrymchak noted that financial calculations and agreements on contributors to the peacekeeping operation is the most vital aspect of preparation. “Provisionally, we have agreed with all our allies that they support the mission,” he stated. “And troops are not the most important thing. Troops can be found. There are many of them around the world. We can take troops from Mexico, for example. But the most important thing is: who will pay for it?”
Former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, estimated that Ukraine will need 20,000-25,000 military personnel and 5,000 police personnel to carry out the international peacekeeping mission.
On April 30, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree for the completion of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the Donbas, which lasted four years. Now, the Ukraine Operation of Joint Forces of Ukraine has begun in the region. Kyiv explained the change in the format of the operation was necessary, as the previous operation “exhausted itself.”