Plans by some nations to put troops in Ukraine are evidence of a confrontational approach, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Western Europe has refused to consider dialogue with Russia and is instead pursuing militaristic policies by planning to send troops to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov stated that the determination by some European nations to station foreign forces on Ukrainian soil reflects its broader “militaristic, confrontational, [and] anti-Russian” stance.
“In this regard, one can only express regret,” he said, adding that Moscow’s “understandable and consistent signals” about the dangers of foreign deployments have been ignored.
Peskov stated that Russia is “disappointed” by the apparent unwillingness in some European countries to even discuss Moscow’s security concerns. Instead of European countries spending large amounts of taxpayer money on supporting Ukraine, he suggested that they take Russia’s concerns into account and start a dialogue based on mutual respect.
“In theory, logic and reason probably dictate the preference of this option. But we see that it is not in such demand now and is not even being discussed in European countries,” Peskov said.
His remarks follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that a joint Franco-British military force of up to 50,000 troops could be deployed to Ukraine following a ceasefire.
Speaking alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, Macron also stated that the so-called “coalition of the willing” intends to patrol Ukraine’s airspace and coastline as part of a broader strategy to rebuild the country’s armed forces. According to Macron, a coordination center could be set up in Kiev under British command to manage operations.
Russian officials have consistently rejected the idea of foreign troop deployments in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any such move would create “facts on the ground” that prevent real negotiations.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) also warned last year that the deployment of a so-called Western peacekeeping force, which could consist of around 100,000 troops, would amount to a de facto occupation.
The Kremlin has previously stated that Western efforts to bolster the Ukrainian militarily are damaging any chance of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In March, Moscow condemned Macron’s original proposal to send “deterrence forces” to Ukraine, calling it a provocative and destabilizing measure.
Russia has maintained that any peacekeeping deployment must be agreed upon by all parties to the conflict.
