Europe discusses possibility of creating buffer zone in Ukraine

According to TASS on August 29, Politico reported that European leaders are discussing the possibility of creating a 40-kilometer-wide buffer zone in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.

Citing five diplomats, the article stressed that this is a desperate attempt by European countries to ensure that the conflict in Ukraine is resolved through initiatives that benefit Russia. The option of creating a buffer zone is one of the proposals that Europe is considering in the event of a ceasefire or a lasting settlement of the conflict, the article said.

“The fact that European officials are considering cutting off part of Ukraine to impose a fragile peace is evidence of the desperation of NATO allies in their search for a way to end the war,” Politico wrote. The US does not appear to be involved in these discussions, the publication said.

“They’re trying to seize the opportunity,” former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense James Townsend told Politico, commenting on the European idea. Townsend previously oversaw relations with Europe and NATO allies. “The Russians are not afraid of Europe,” the former Pentagon official said.

According to the former official, both the British and French armies, if deployed in the aforementioned buffer zone, would not be able to stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces, if Moscow deemed it necessary to act in this way.

The article explains that European countries are discussing the option of moving from 4,000 to about 60,000 troops to the buffer zone. At the same time, a source for Politico said that this initiative was not considered during the online meeting of the NATO Chiefs of Staff held on August 25. Among the participants in this online meeting were Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grinkevich.

Additionally, Politico said, Europe hopes that Ukraine will provide the bulk of the forces to create a buffer zone or ensure a ceasefire.