Ukraine: Majority of Germans back peacekeeping force

More than half of Germans support the creation of a international peacekeeping force in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, according to a survey. (reported by DW News)

That’s according to a survey run by the YouGov research institute on behalf of the dpa news agency, Ukrinform reports.

The deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine sees support from 56% of respondents. At the same time, only 23% said they would like German soldiers to participate in peacekeeping efforts.

The survey was conducted online from December 20 to 23, covering 2,194 respondents from across Germany.

As reported, the possibility of deploying peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia has been widely debated recently.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly said the issue is not worth being discussed at the moment since a ceasefire does not appear to be achieved anytime soon.

Also, German authorities believe the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent must also be approved by the Russian side.

Moreover, Transnistria, the breakaway region of Moldova is suffering a “severe” energy crisis after Russia halted gas supplies, pro-Russian separatist officials said.

Russia had announced that it would halt gas deliveries to Moldova over a financial dispute between Chisinau and Russian energy firm Gazprom.

Ukraine

It also comes after Ukraine did not renew a five-year deal that expired on Wednesday. Kyiv had previously allowed Russia to continue sending gas across its territory to countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

“The crisis is so severe that there is no need to list which enterprises have stopped. All industrial enterprises have stopped, except for those engaged in food production,” said Sergei Obolonik, who serves as the self-proclaimed republic’s economy minister.

Separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said that more than 70,000 households had no gas and over 1,500 apartment blocks had no hot water or heating. “It is difficult, but we will not allow social collapse,” he said.

The largely Russian-speaking region has been de-facto controlled by pro-Moscow forces since the collapse of the Soviet Union but is internationally recognized as part of Moldova.

Source: DW News

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