Ukraine’s Western allies are due to meet in Paris on Thursday to hammer out a plan on how to deter Russia from attacking again in case a peace deal is reached, but Moscow once again made clear it will be difficult to get on board.
“These are not security guarantees for Ukraine, but a guarantee of insecurity on the European continent,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in Vladivostok, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Russia continues to reject the deployment of any NATO troops to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire, Zakharova said.
“Russia will not discuss deeply unacceptable foreign intervention in Ukraine that undermines security,” Zakharova said at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific port city.
Thursday’s meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 10 am (0800 GMT), convenes the Coalition of the Willing, a loose alliance of some 30 countries working on a plan to secure Ukraine’s sovereignty when the war, launched by Moscow in February 2022, ends.
Proposals on the table include strengthening the Ukrainian armed forces but also political and military commitments to Kiev in case Russia launches another attack on its smaller neighbour.
One particularly contentious issue is whether partners would send ground troops into Ukraine or deploy them near the country’s borders to support the Ukrainian military.
Russian proposals have so far boiled down to appointing the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as guarantor powers. However, this would include Russia itself, giving it the right to veto intervention by other countries in favour of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has made no attempt in hiding his lack of interest in any deal that he considers to be unfavourable to Russia.
On Wednesday, he said that fighting in Ukraine would continue if no agreement is reached with Kiev.
