Zelensky: "Ukraine Needs at Least 200,000 Peacekeeping Troops for a Ceasefire"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that if a ceasefire agreement is reached with Russia, Ukraine would need "at least 200,000 European peacekeepers" on the ground to defend against any potential Russian attack.

Speaking one day after Donald Trump's return to the US presidency, Zelensky emphasized that Europe must "fend for itself." He mentioned that 200,000 peacekeeping troops from European countries is the minimum required number, stating, "Otherwise, it is nothing."

In his speech at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky reminded that "there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia."

The Ukrainian president also underlined that Russia's demand to reduce Ukraine's military, currently at 800,000 troops, by a fifth is "not an option."

Zelensky stated that during a ceasefire agreement, Ukraine's best defense would be NATO membership.

While most European countries support Ukraine's NATO membership, Germany and the United States oppose it. Russia-friendly governments in Hungary and Slovakia are also against Ukraine's accession to NATO.

Support for Trump’s 5% Defense Spending Proposal

Zelensky further urged European countries to consider Trump’s call for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

"If 5% of GDP is needed for defense, then let it be, it should be 5%," Zelensky said, emphasizing the need for Europe to establish a unified security and defense policy.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is seeking a meeting with Trump, who promised to quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine if he wins the US presidency. However, how he intends to achieve this has never been clarified.

Russian Drone Attacks Continue

In other developments, Ukrainian officials reported on Tuesday that Russian drone attacks had caused damage to homes in various regions of central and southern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military reported that 131 Russian drones and four ballistic missiles were used in the attacks.

Ukrainian air forces announced that their air defense systems had downed 72 drones.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, in a statement on Tuesday, said that it had destroyed 55 Ukrainian drones, mostly in areas near the Russia-Ukraine border. The ministry added that Russian air defense systems had downed 22 drones over Bryansk, 12 over Rostov, and 10 over the Smolensk region.