200,000 Peacekeepers Needed for Ukraine, but Europe Lacks Troops

Zelensky Calls for 200,000 Peacekeepers After Ceasefire
Only a Few European Countries Maintain Over 200,000 Standing Troops... France Stands Alone in Western Europe

On the 22nd (local time), Ukrainian artillerymen deployed on the eastern Donetsk front in Ukraine are reloading shells. Photo by AP and Yonhap News

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, has stated that at least 200,000 European peacekeepers are needed to prepare for further military threats from Russia after a ceasefire, prompting intense deliberation among nations. During the Ukraine war, many countries have reduced their standing forces, making the large-scale deployment of 200,000 troops virtually impossible. Among the European military powers-namely the United Kingdom, France, and Germany-France is the only country maintaining a standing force of over 200,000 troops. Eastern European countries such as T?rkiye and Poland are highly negative about the idea of dispatching peacekeepers to Ukraine.

Zelensky: "At least 200,000 peacekeepers needed after ceasefire"

On the 21st (local time), Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, attended and delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland. In his speech, President Zelensky argued that at least 200,000 peacekeepers should be deployed in Europe to maintain peace after the ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News.

On the 21st (local time), at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland, President Zelensky addressed the required size of a peacekeeping force after a ceasefire, stating, "At least 200,000 are needed. This is the minimum number, and anything less would be meaningless," and emphasized, "Europeans need to establish an integrated security and defense policy. If 5% of GDP is required to cover defense spending, then 5% must be accepted."

President Zelensky stressed the need for at least 200,000 peacekeepers because of the significant gap in standing forces between Ukraine and Russia. He explained, "In terms of military size alone, Russia has between 1.3 and 1.5 million troops. In contrast, our military numbers just over 800,000," adding, "After us, France is the only country with more than 200,000 troops, followed by Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. All other countries have even fewer."

In reality, since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has increased its standing forces from the previous 900,000-1,000,000 to 1.3 million in 2023, and to 1.5 million last year. This increase has been achieved through partial mobilization and recruitment of mercenaries, without a full wartime mobilization order. Russia has also received a deployment of about 12,000 troops from North Korea. In contrast, Ukraine is currently under a wartime mobilization order, with all adult men serving in the military, but its total number of troops remains between 800,000 and 1,000,000.

Few European countries have over 200,000 standing troops... France is the only one in Western Europe

In November last year, a NATO multinational brigade armored unit conducted joint military exercises at the Adazi military base in Latvia. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

Although President Zelensky has appealed for the deployment of 200,000 troops from Europe, European countries are reluctant. As he mentioned, among the major European military powers, France is the only one with more than 200,000 standing troops.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a UK-based think tank specializing in foreign affairs and security, as of 2023, the number of standing troops for France, the United Kingdom, and Germany-the major military powers in Europe-stands at 203,000, 181,000, and 144,000, respectively. Despite the ongoing Ukraine war, both Germany and the United Kingdom have reduced their standing forces due to budgetary and other issues, bringing their troop numbers below 200,000.

Among European member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), excluding the United States, only France, T?rkiye (425,000), and Greece (200,000) have more than 200,000 standing troops. Other countries with more than 100,000 troops, apart from Germany and the United Kingdom, include Italy (160,000), Poland (160,000), and Spain (124,000). Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the prolonged period of peace led many countries to drastically reduce their military expenditures and troop numbers.

Among these, T?rkiye and Poland are particularly negative about deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine, casting a shadow over the reconfiguration of European security. These countries also maintain close diplomatic relations with Russia, making it highly unlikely that they would participate in dispatching peacekeepers to Ukraine.