Russia (Reuters) - Russia has no plans to discuss the possibility of any foreign military deployment in Ukraine, calling such a prospect "unacceptable," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov meets OSCE Secretary General Sinirlioglu, in Moscow |
Zakharova's comments were a direct response to recent statements made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding potential plans to send European troops to Ukraine as part of a post-conflict arrangement. Germany had also previously dismissed the idea.
The Russian spokeswoman made it clear that the topic was not open for debate from Moscow's perspective. "Any form of foreign military deployment in Ukraine is a red line for us," Zakharova stated. "The very idea is completely unacceptable, and we will not entertain any discussions on the matter."
The controversy stems from an interview von der Leyen gave to the Financial Times on Sunday. In the interview, she mentioned that Europe was drawing up "quite detailed plans" for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine. She framed this potential deployment not as a combat role, but as a component of post-conflict security guarantees for Kyiv, which would be backed by capabilities from the United States.
The proposal, though described as part of a future peace framework, has drawn a sharp and immediate rebuke from Moscow, which views any presence of foreign, particularly Western, military personnel on Ukrainian soil as a direct threat to its national security interests.
