A Ukrainian diplomatic official, Ambassador Oleksiy Makeyev, has expressed a desire for a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. He emphasized the need for Europe to be “militarily stronger, with its own military, with high-risk armaments production” in an interview with Politico’s Tuesday edition.
“We are certain that the United States is on the side of Ukraine and on the side of democracy” the ambassador added. “What we heard from the United States in the last days was also my favorite word from the Munich Security Conference: a wake-up call for Europe.”
Makeyev was not deterred by the Russian Foreign Minister’s rejection of a withdrawal from occupied regions. “We’re not interested in what the Russians say. We need to build our own position and go into the negotiations with that position. Again, Ukraine, Europe, the United States, we don’t need mediators, we need allies.”
“It’s all about everything for Europe and the question is, does one let oneself be a plaything of others or does one play with others?” the ambassador said. “We want the Europeans to play as a team.