One of the guarantees of security for Ukraine is the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent along the demarcation line with the Russian Federation. According to estimates provided by Volodymyr Zelensky, approximately 100,000 peacekeepers are needed.
This figure may seem exaggerated to some, but the estimated length of the active front line is about 1,200 km, to which the length of the border must be added. If we consider the indicators from the summer of 2024, the General Staff then mentioned 3,700 km, and this figure has only increased since then. Thus, for every kilometer of the demarcation line, there would be fewer than 27 peacekeepers if all 100,000 were lined up.
At the same time, the United States has already stated directly that American troops will not participate in any security mission in Ukraine. Therefore, the only option for deploying peacekeeping forces remains the forces of Europe, the EU, or the European segment of NATO.
Moreover, such a peacekeeping operation would be one of the largest in scale. For context, in 2019, the total number of UN peacekeeping forces was exactly 100,000, with 44,000 of them being representatives from African countries. However, recent UN peacekeepers have proven to be a rather mediocre example of effectiveness and real peacekeeping. At the same time, contingents from European countries in Europe may deliver more quality results, as it pertains to ensuring their own security directly.
However, the question arises: can European countries physically provide 100,000 military personnel as peacekeepers? The current composition of the European segment of NATO stands at 2.04 million personnel across all armed forces of member states. If we exclude Turkey - 1.56 million personnel, as well as Hungary and Slovakia - 1.51 million personnel.
Thus, the required 100,000 is only 6.6% of the total number of the European military, even without considering countries with pro-Russian governments. This means that the figures are more than realistic, but they still require the appropriate unwavering will.