BRUSSELS: The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Tuesday said that the possibility of deploying a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission to Ukraine remains “very hypothetical” at this stage.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Lacroix said that while the question of a UN mission had been raised, no formal planning was underway.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s very, very hypothetical,” he said. “The question is obviously there and it’s being asked—but we’re not planning anything.”
Talks on ceasefire and peacekeeping
His comments come as European nations explore ways to secure a potential ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, including discussions on a peacekeeping force.
French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly discussed the possibility of a UN-led mission with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to media reports.
A summit of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of European nations working towards a ceasefire, is set to take place in Paris on Thursday. The coalition is seen as an alternative to a UN-led peacekeeping force, should the latter fail to materialise.
Russia’s chief negotiator in recent talks with the United States on ending the conflict said on Tuesday that Moscow would seek to involve the UN in the peace process, though he did not specify in what capacity.
Challenges to UN peacekeeping mission
Lacroix emphasised that any UN peacekeeping mission in Ukraine would require a formal mandate from the UN Security Council.
“We’re not mandated to plan, and I can’t really know on what basis right now we would be planning anything,” he said, adding that his teams had received no instructions regarding a potential mission.
Historically, UN peacekeeping missions have taken various forms, but the UN Charter does not explicitly mention peacekeeping operations.
Since the first mission was deployed in 1948, peacekeeping operations have primarily been used to oversee ceasefires rather than enforce them.
If Ukraine were to accept a UN mission, it would require an agreed ceasefire, with peacekeepers deployed to prevent further hostilities on the ground.
However, a UN mission would not be able to enforce a ceasefire in the air or at sea, limiting its effectiveness in Ukraine’s complex conflict landscape.
International interest in peacekeeping
Macron’s interest in a UN peacekeeping operation is being interpreted as a sign that US-led negotiations may be making progress towards a long-term ceasefire.
According to an analysis by Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at the Foreign Policy Council Ukrainian Prism, a UN mission in Ukraine would need at least 10,000 troops to be effective.
She noted that discussions about potential contributors to such a mission have already taken place.
