Former German Ambassador to Washington, Wolfgang Ischinger, thinks the idea of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is “far-fetched”.
“One the one hand, you would need a lot of troops. On the other hand: if you start such an operation, you need to think about the risks. What happens if a real Russian attack begins? Are we then able to repel this attack?”, he told the “Stern”.
Ischinger, who was the Ambassador in Washington from 2001 to 2006 and later the long-time leader of the Munich Security Conference, does not believe the US under Donald Trump would engage in peacekeeping, he sees this role more in other states: “These should be troops from India, Pakistan, Brazil, or Indonesia, perhaps also the Chinese, if they want. And it should be a mandate that is sanctioned by the UN”.
Against Russia, one must show firmness, but also negotiation readiness regarding a possible Ukrainian NATO membership: “Of course, it could be that this is the only point that stands in the way of a solution at the end, if all other things are settled. Then one must discuss this”. For a peace, a dialogue between Moscow and Washington is necessary: “If this American-Russian level of talks does not exist, then there is also no Ukraine agreement”.
Considering the threats by Donald Trump against Canada or Greenland, Ischinger advises not to panic. “He is a master of diversion. The topic we actually expect action on is the one he loudly announced, the maneuver with Putin to solve the Ukraine problem in 24 hours. It is already indicating that this will not be done in 24 hours. It’s of course great if one can say something about Panama, Greenland, and Canada, which gets everyone excited”.
However, Ischinger sees the danger that the polemics of Trump’s ally Elon Musk against foreign politicians could dramatically lower the trust in the US as a “benign hegemon”. “The US risks losing this role if they operate in the world like a schoolyard bully”.
He also recommends calmness here: “We must not let ourselves be swayed by a democratically unlegitimized rich American. Musk is an important industrialist who takes pleasure in making political statements that reveal his great lack of knowledge of the circumstances in Germany”.