“We will not subscribe to, accept, or even be satisfied with any presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made this statement in an interview with ABC News, emphasizing that Moscow will not accept Alliance troops on Ukrainian soil, even if they are part of a security guarantee or as members of the Coalition of the Willing. The possibility of a European-led multinational force in Ukraine emerged from yesterday's talks in Berlin.
The Kremlin also appears unwilling to compromise on Donbass: Ryabkov reiterated that Russia has no intention of making concessions on Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Crimea. "We absolutely cannot compromise on these," said Moscow's foreign minister. In any case, the deputy minister expressed optimism, stating that the parties are "on the verge" of reaching a diplomatic solution.
On the territories, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had raised the possibility of a referendum, an option that the US and its European allies would also support: " Decisions on the territory are up to the Ukrainian people, once solid security guarantees are effectively in place," the leaders underlined in Berlin.
Moscow also rejected calls for a Christmas truce in Ukraine . "We want peace, not a truce to give Ukraine a break to prepare for the continuation of the war," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Now the question is whether we are about to reach, as President Trump says, an agreement or not," Peskov added. "But if the Ukrainians, instead of a peace agreement, are aiming for temporary and impractical decisions, then we are unlikely to participate in this," Vladimir Putin's spokesman concluded.
(Unioneonline/lf)
