Moscow, August 29: The Kremlin on Wednesday said it opposed the idea of European countries sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and dismissed prospects of an imminent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We view such discussions negatively,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about a possible European peacekeeping force as part of a settlement to end the conflict, now in its fourth year.
He said one of Russia’s main reasons for launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was to prevent NATO states from establishing a military presence in its neighbour.
Kyiv is pressing for Western-backed security guarantees in any agreement to ensure Moscow does not mount another offensive, while Russia has insisted that Ukraine must cede more territory in the east.
Peskov described security guarantees for Ukraine as “one of the most important topics” under discussion but said Moscow would not comment publicly on what they could entail.
The Kremlin also pushed back on talk of a quick summit between Putin and Zelenskyy. “Any high-level or top-level contact must be well-prepared in order to be effective,” Peskov said. He added that Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams remain in touch but no date had been set for the next round of talks.
