Lithuanian Foreign Minister names how many peacekeepers should be sent to Ukraine to contain russia

The size of a possible peacekeeping mission, which is currently being actively discussed in Europe, should be several hundred thousand military personnel. This will help deter the aggressor country, russia.

According to Delfi, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated this.

According to him, if possible negotiations are successful and allow for a ceasefire, tough decisions are needed to protect Ukraine from a second attack.

Budrys named sending contingents of European armed forces to Ukraine as one of such decisions.

"We know what numbers are needed to deter russia. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of soldiers," Budrys said.

The Minister emphasized that open discussions of a possible peacekeeping mission are an achievement in themselves.

Budrys also expressed doubts that russia will adhere to the terms of a possible ceasefire agreement.

"I don't believe that Russia will abide by the agreement, because I haven't seen any agreement related to the establishment of peace that it would abide by," the Minister said.

Budrys believes that russia "will find reasons why this or that is bad." He recalled that the full-scale war against Ukraine began because moscow violated the "Minsk Agreements."

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on February 17, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared his readiness to send British troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement is reached between Kyiv and moscow.

Also on that day, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that Stockholm would consider participating in a peacekeeping mission, the sending of which to Ukraine is currently being discussed in Europe.

As we will recall, on the evening of February 17, the British publication Sky News wrote, citing an unnamed German official, that Berlin would allegedly not shy away from participating in a peacekeeping mission.