Prospects for a UN Peacekeeping Mission to Donbas

The Polish Institute of International Affairs is an analytical institution established by an act of Parliament in 1996 to carry out research and provide expertise in international affairs. PISM disseminates information on contemporary international issues and maintains contacts with academic and political centres in Poland and abroad. The Institute runs courses for public servants, maintains a library (open to the public; 165,000 books and journals), organises conferences, and publishes books, periodicals and documents on Polish foreign policy and international matters.

The funding for PISM comes from the budget. The director is appointed by the prime minister for a term of five years, following consultation with the minister of foreign affairs. The minister supervises the Institute and appoints its advisory council, which includes a representative of the President of the Republic of Poland, academics and officials.During the September 2017 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Russia and Ukraine each presented proposals for the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Donbas. However, the differences between the two countries reduced the probability of reaching agreement on that issue. From Ukraine’s perspective, the mission should be deployed in all territory controlled by Russia and its goal should be the demilitarisation of Donbas. Russia, in proposing to send a peacekeeping mission to eastern Ukraine, hopes to return to the discussion of a new security architecture in Europe.