Russia says Europe's statement on sending troops to Ukraine
Russia says Europe's statement on sending troops to Ukraine is bluff
Russia calls the statement by the United Kingdom and the European Union countries about moving to the "operational phase" of sending troops of the "coalition of the willing" to Ukraine a bluff
MOSCOW — Russia calls the statement by the United Kingdom and the European
Union countries about moving to the "operational phase" of sending
troops of the "coalition of the willing" to Ukraine a bluff since it
was conditioned on the provision of security guarantees by the United States,
local media reported.
"The statement about the operational details of
introducing occupation troops into the post-Ukrainian space from the lips of
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is essentially a bluff because he
immediately stipulates that this is possible only with the support of the
United States," said Chairman of the Russian Civic Chamber Vladimir Rogov.
Rogov stated that the introduction of third-country
contingents into Ukraine would be illegal and would be contrary to the
interests of security and the establishment of long-term peace, state-run media
agency TASS reported on Sunday.
"I am convinced that the appearance of British, German,
French and other foreign troops will make them a priority target for our army
since they cannot have any legal mandate to operate in this territory,"
the official added.
Meanwhile, the top US and Russian diplomats discussed on
Saturday the "next steps" to end the war in Ukraine, hours after
Ukraine's allies agreed to exert pressure on Moscow.
"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a call on Saturday. Secretary Rubio and
Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed steps to follow up on recent meetings in
Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication
between the United States and Russia," US Department of State spokeswoman
Tammy Bruce said.
Britain hosted a virtual meeting with more than 25 political
leaders on Saturday. At a press conference after the virtual meeting, when
asked whether any concrete commitments emerged from it, British PM Keir Starmer
said the meeting had helped build political and military momentum, with
participating countries agreeing to increase collective pressure on Russia.
However, he stopped short of disclosing what specific
measures would be taken at the "operational phase."
Starmer reaffirmed Britain's willingness to take a leading
role in the "coalition of the willing," a post-conflict arrangement
that he announced two weeks ago during a London Summit.
He said Britain is willing to deploy troops on the ground
and aircraft in the sky. However, he did not specify how other nations would
contribute to the coalition.
Joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from
Canada, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union, Starmer urged
Russia to "come to the table to negotiate a deal."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said that the
presence of NATO troops under any flag and in any capacity on Ukrainian soil is
a threat to Russia. Russia will not accept this under any circumstances.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference
on March 13 following talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander
Lukashenko that Moscow agrees with proposals to end hostilities in Ukraine, but
they must lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the crisis,
TASS reported.
