Russia has said it opposes having NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine, even if they operated under a different flag.
Published On 25 Feb 2025
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