Many Finnish volunteers are ready to join a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

Yle reported that, according to the Union of Reservists, many of them have signed a commitment to participate in crisis management missions. The number of applicants is the highest in the last 20 years.

The Union of Reservists says it is ready to support the government’s political decision on a possible operation.

According to the union, there are many reservists who have pledged to be operationally ready for peacekeeping missions.

At the end of January, the Finnish army announced that more than three thousand reservists had applied to participate in military crisis management missions in 2024, the largest number in the last 20 years.

However, the discussion about sending Finnish troops to ensure peace in Ukraine is premature, as the country is still in a full-scale war.

If it is a peacekeeping operation under the auspices of the United Nations, Finland has already established processes for participation.

The operation will involve volunteer reservists and a small number of permanent personnel of the Defense Forces.

Currently, the United States continues to actively promote the idea of negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

An important point of such an agreement could be the deployment of peacekeeping forces on Ukrainian territory to enforce the ceasefire.

In early January, French President Emmanuel Macron initiated the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that, given the length of the front line, the Ukrainian side had estimated that 100,000 troops would be needed for the peacekeeping mission, and Kyiv had even prepared a map for its allies. However, the partners are developing a strategy to send 25,000 to 30,000 troops to Ukraine as part of the ceasefire agreement.