Russia has said it opposes having NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine, even if they operated under a different flag.
Russia has reiterated its objection to the potential deployment of European peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of any agreement to halt the war, after US President Donald Trump claimed that Moscow would be open to such a move.
Trump said on Monday that both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
“Yeah, he will accept that,” Trump said. “I specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it.”
Asked by reporters on Tuesday about Trump’s statement on the matter, Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov refrained from publicly contradicting the US president, but effectively reaffirmed Russia’s opposition to the idea.
“There is a position on this matter that was expressed by the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. I have nothing to add to this and nothing to comment on. I leave this without comment,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly said it opposes having NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying last week that Moscow would view that as a “direct threat” to Russia’s sovereignty, even if the troops operated there under a different flag.
Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, did not respond directly to the Kremlin’s latest comment, but said the Trump administration would continue to work with Moscow and Kyiv to end the war.
“President Trump’s commitment to achieving an end to this brutal, bloody war and then establishing the framework for a lasting peace will not be negotiated through the media,” 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. We continue to work with Russia and Ukraine for peace because you can’t end a war without talking to both sides.”
EU leaders to hold talks
The leaders of the 27 EU member states will meet by video conference on Wednesday for a debriefing of the meeting, focused on Ukraine, between Macron and Trump in Washington.
During his discussions at the White House, Macron insisted on the need to provide “security guarantees” to prevent Russia from attacking again in the future.
“We want a quick deal but not an agreement that is fragile,” the French president insisted and said that peace cannot “mean the capitulation of Ukraine.”
European Council President Antonio Costa announced on X that the video conference will also focus on discussing “the extraordinary” European summit on March 6 in Brussels, which he said will be “a decisive moment” for Ukraine and European security.
Trump’s push to launch negotiations between senior US and Russian diplomats without the participation of Ukrainian or European leaders has raised tensions, with Europe questioning Washington’s commitment to its security.
The war in Ukraine could end “within weeks”, Trump assured on Monday, saying that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could go to Washington “this week or the next”.
“We need a truce first. I think it could be concluded in the coming weeks,” Macron added.