Switzerland could contribute troops to a future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if it were requested and the government gave its consent.
As reported by Ukrinform, this was stated by the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces, Thomas Süssli, in an interview with the newspaper SonntagsBlick, according to Reuters.
“We could probably field around 200 soldiers in nine to 12 months,” Süssli said.
He emphasized that if a request was made to Switzerland, the decision to send troops would be made by the government and parliament of the country.
According to Süssli, discussions about sending peacekeepers are purely hypothetical at this stage, as it remains unclear how the situation between Russia and Ukraine will develop.
“There’s no peace yet, and there’s been no request from the United Nations,” he said.
Neutral Switzerland participates in several peacekeeping missions worldwide, the largest of which is in Kosovo, where Swiss troops were deployed to support NATO’s Kosovo Force in (KFOR).
As reported by Ukrinform, Latvia is ready to consider any proposals regarding the deployment of military personnel to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, but two conditions must be met first.
Photo: The Independent
