Lavrov says the deployment of a NATO peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine is unacceptable for Russia
The foreign minister stressed that Russian diplomats conveyed this thesis to their American colleagues during the negotiations
The deployment of military troops of NATO members in Ukraine is unacceptable for Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference following the Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia.
This is how he responded to the question that the United States had sent the European Union a number of questions, including questions about the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces after the end of the war in Ukraine.
"The appearance of troops, armed forces from the same NATO countries, but under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or under national flags, does not change anything in this regard. This is, of course, unacceptable to us," Lavrov said.
NATO's "absorption" of Ukraine is a direct threat to Russia's sovereignty, he said, adding that Russian diplomats conveyed this thesis to their American colleagues during talks on Tuesday.
Earlier, the United States asked European allies to clarify what security guarantees they are ready to provide to Ukraine to ensure compliance with the future peace agreement, and how the EU would react if the troops they have deployed were attacked by Russia, Bloomberg reported.
"The Americans are interested in the contingents from the point of view to understand which of the countries that are ready to provide them, but it is clear that the question is addressed to the members of the European Union," Lavrov responded.
Earlier the Washington Post sources told that Ukraine's European allies were going to send 25-30 thousand soldiers to the country to prevent new Russian aggression after the conclusion of the peace agreement.
The units were planned to be stationed behind the front line so that they would be ready to intervene in case of any attempt by Russia to attack.
However, no agreement was reached. Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain spoke out against sending European troops to Ukraine, while France, the United Kingdom and Sweden agreed to send their peacekeepers.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that the issue should not be discussed until a lasting peace was established, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called sending troops "the most difficult and least effective" of the possible options for supporting Ukraine.
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