Russia reaffirms opposition to European troops in Ukraine

After US President Donald Trump claimed that Moscow would be open to such a move, Russia has reiterated its opposition to the potential deployment of European peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of any cease-fire agreement.

Trump claimed on Monday that Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Putin both supported the deployment of Ukrainian peacekeepers.

“Yeah, he will accept that”, Trump said. “I specifically asked him that question. He doesn’t mind if it’s done.

Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov effectively confirmed Russia’s opposition to the idea when asked by reporters on Tuesday about Trump’s response to the matter. Peskov declined to directly contradict Trump.

The Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has taken a position on this issue. There is nothing I can add or add anything to this. I leave this without comment”, he said.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it opposes the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, with Sergei Lavrov, the country’s foreign minister, stating last week that Moscow would view that as a “direct threat” to its sovereignty, despite the fact that the troops would be operating there under a different flag.

The Trump administration will continue to work with Moscow and Kyiv to end the war, according to Brian Hughes, a White House National Security Council spokesperson, who did not directly address the Kremlin’s most recent comment.

The media will not be used to negotiate President Trump’s commitment to putting an end to this bloody, brutal war, and then establishing the conditions for a lasting peace, Hughes said.

“The Trump administration knows that sustaining peace requires Europe to do more, and we have heard leaders like]French] President]Emmanuel] Macron and British Prime Minister]Keir] Starmer – as well as others – offer to do just that. Because you can’t put an end to a war without talking to both Russia and Ukraine, we will always be working for peace.

EU leaders to hold talks

On Wednesday, Macron and Trump will hold a videoconference debriefing of the meeting, which will feature a focus on Ukraine.

Macron emphasized the need for “security guarantees” during his discussions with Trump to stop Russia from starting a new attack.

The French president reaffirmed that peace cannot “mean the capitulation of Ukraine” and that it must be done quickly, but not a fragile agreement.

Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, stated on X that the video conference will also address “the extraordinary” European summit scheduled for March 6 in Brussels, which he said will be “a decisive moment” for Ukraine and European security.

Trump’s desire to start negotiations with senior US and Russian diplomats without Ukrainian or European leaders’ participation has sparked tensions in Europe, where Washington has questioned its commitment to its security.

Trump promised on Monday that the Ukrainian conflict would end “within weeks,” stating that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, would travel to Washington “this week or the following week.”