The President of the German Reserve Forces Association, Patrick Sensburg, has publicly expressed openness to the potential participation of German soldiers in a future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. However, he simultaneously cautioned against a premature discussion and highlighted numerous preconditions that would need to be met before any deployment could be considered.
Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Sensburg stated that the debate surrounding the possible involvement of Bundeswehr soldiers in Ukraine is currently too limited in scope. He emphasized that the conditions under which a peacekeeping force would operate are crucial. “From a military perspective, such a mission only makes sense if there is a demilitarized buffer zone between Russian forces and the peacekeeping troops. This is important to be able to detect any Russian build-ups early on and then counteract them accordingly” he explained.
Sensburg indicated that Russia is currently far from conceding to the establishment of such a zone. He further elaborated that a viable alternative would require a peacekeeping force to significantly outnumber the Russian army, which he considers unrealistic given the capabilities of European armed forces. However, should circumstances evolve and a peacekeeping deployment under reasonable conditions become a possibility, Sensburg urged Germany to take a leading role, providing the largest contingent of troops.
