Niinistö said that the conflict in Ukraine is a big problem for Europe

Photo: EPA

Finland is ready to participate in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbass, if the decision will be made. This was stated by the President of the country Sauli Niinistö February 17, speaking to reporters at the Munich security conference, says the Finnish portal Yle.

He noted that the conflict in Ukraine is a big problem for Europe, and if Finland can do something to help her to decide she’s ready to do it.

5 September 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the presence of UN peacekeepers would benefit the resolution of the conflict in the East of Ukraine. He said that peacekeeping forces were placed on the line of contact between the parties and “any other areas”.

September 11 in conversation with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Putin admitted that the armed UN mission can be in the conflict area in the Donbas not only on the line of contact. In his opinion, it must protect the special monitoring mission of the OSCE.

However, on 22 September, the speaker of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said Russia agree on the placement of the UN peacekeeping mission only on the frontline, not on the whole territory of Donbass.

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at the meeting with the UN Secretary-General antónio Guterres 21 September 2017 has said that the peacekeeping mission “with a comprehensive mandate” can help to restore peace in the Donbas.

The UN has started preparing a relevant resolution.

October 28, 2017, the special envoy of the US state Department in Ukraine Kurt Volker called critical transfer of the Ukrainian-Russian border in the ATO zone under the control of the peacekeepers.

October 31, 2017, the Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov said that UN peacekeepers, which said Walker will become the “occupying forces”.

3 January 2018 in Kiev, the foreign Minister of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel stressed that the UN peacekeeping mission needs to be throughout the occupied territory of Donbass, and not only on the line of collision.