SOME ISSUES OF THE USE OF UN PEACEKEEPING FORCES DURING THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Abstract

It is determined that the concept of «peacekeeping» should be interpreted as the activities of international intergovernmental organizations or individual States, as well as other actors of international politics, which are aimed at preventing and resolving international conflicts both by peaceful means and with the use of military force, the use of which must be approved by a UN decision. It is outlined that the current practice of the UN includes various mechanisms for achieving international peace and security, such as preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace enforcement and peacebuilding in the post-conflict period. The author characterizes the UN peacekeeping forces and the peculiarities of peacekeeping operations. The main criteria for approving the mandate of a peacekeeping operation are determined. The opinion on the expediency of conducting a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine as a way to end the war with Russia is substantiated. It is summarized that the UN peacekeeping force is one of the mechanisms for ensuring international security, which guarantees the support of democratic principles, promotes a ceasefire between the parties to the conflict, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the creation of conditions for reconciliation. It is noted that it is advisable to develop a separate international UN instrument which would clearly regulate the procedure for involving peacekeepers in armed conflicts and their status. It is concluded that the involvement of UN peacekeepers «blue helmets» in the hostilities in Ukraine will have a positive impact on the further course of the Russian-Ukrainian war under certain conditions: 1) the UN Security Council’s provision of a «tough mandate» with the possibility of using weapons not only for self-defense of UN personnel; 2) the provision of a sufficiently large number of peacekeepers (about 50 thousand); 3) the peacekeeping mission should not include forces of the Russian Federation and friendly states; 4) the introduction of peacekeeping forces to the occupied territories exclusively on favorable terms for Ukraine.