Lavrov deemed the deployment of NATO peacekeeping forces in Ukraine unacceptable for Russia.

The deployment of NATO member military contingents in Ukraine is unacceptable for Moscow, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press conference following Russian-American negotiations in Saudi Arabia, as reported by moscowtimes.ru.

In response to a question regarding the U.S. sending a series of inquiries to the European Union, including questions about the potential deployment of peacekeeping forces after the war in Ukraine, he said,

“The presence of troops, armed forces from the same NATO countries, but under a different flag, under the EU flag or national flags, does not change anything in this regard. This is, of course, unacceptable for us,” Lavrov stated.

He asserted that the “absorption” of Ukraine into NATO poses a direct threat to Russia's sovereignty, adding that this point was communicated by Russian diplomats to their American counterparts during negotiations on Tuesday.

Previously, the U.S. requested European allies to clarify what security guarantees they are willing to provide Ukraine to ensure compliance with a future peace agreement, and how the EU would respond if their stationed troops came under attack from Russia, Bloomberg reported.

“Contingents are of interest to the Americans in terms of the countries willing to provide them, but it is clear that the questions are directed at EU members,” Lavrov reacted.

Background. Earlier, sources from the Washington Post reported that European allies of Ukraine were planning to send 25,000 to 30,000 troops to the country to prevent further aggression from Russia after a peace agreement is reached.

The units were intended to be stationed behind the front line to be ready to intervene at any attempt by Russia to resume military actions.

However, it later became known that an agreement could not be reached. Opposition to sending European troops to Ukraine was voiced by Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, while France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden agreed to send their peacekeepers.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that this issue should not be discussed until a durable peace is established, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the deployment of troops as “the most complicated and least effective” option for supporting Ukraine.