Europe and NATO talk Ukraine peacekeeping, without peace

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, Europe’s defence ministers have gathered in Brussels to discuss the possible deployment of international peacekeeping troops, despite there being no actual peace agreement in sight. 

In this episode of Long Story Short, we unpacks the latest meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing”, led by France and the UK, as they try to sketch out future security guarantees for Ukraine, heavily reliant, of course, on a hesitant United States that once again didn’t bother to show up. With Russia reportedly launching a new offensive and Ukraine still barred from joining NATO, we explore what these vague commitments actually mean, what Kyiv is asking for, and whether Europe is ready to take the lead or simply hoping someone else will.