Russia's Peacekeeping Proposal in Ukraine Rings Hollow

An Ukrainian serviceman prepares ammunition for the fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Avdiivka, Donetsk region on March 30, 2017. For nearly three years, Kiev has been trying to get U.N. peacekeepers sent to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but now the suggestion is coming from Moscow. During a Sept. 5 press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that the U.N. Security Council deploy peacekeepers to the front lines of the conflict, which would "benefit the resolution of problems in southeast Ukraine." The timing of the statement indicates that Russia could file a resolution during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly session, which begins Sept. 12. But the proposal should be seen more as an attempt to ease pressure from the West -- and particularly Washington -- than a sincere commitment to ending the conflict.