Such a mission’s purpose could further be complicated by the fact that it may not be sufficient to secure a separation of forces. It might also be necessary to create a temporary international military and civilian administration on the territory of the Donbas during which refugees could return, local police forces would be created, elections be conducted, etc. A partial solution to tackling such a range of issues could be to combine a UN mission with a parallel, attached or included EU military and/or civilian operation under the Common Security and Defence Policy.

Moreover, it would be important for such a mission’s success that full deployment starts within few months after an agreement on the operation has been reached, and that the mission’s mandate is sufficiently robust.