KEY POINTS
- Russia rejects EU troops in Ukraine, calling it direct NATO involvement in war
- Lavrov slams Macron’s nuclear remarks as a threat and stupid
- Kremlin calls Macron’s speech ‘confrontational’
- Macron warns of Russian expansion
- Ukraine seeks EU support, as the US cuts intelligence-sharing
- Scholz warns against shifting to a European-led nuclear defence system
MOSCOW: Russia “categorically” opposes any deal that allows European troops to act as peacekeepers in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday adding that such a move would be seen as the direct involvement of NATO forces in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday, Lavrov said there was “no room for compromise” on the issue, describing the presence of European forces in Ukraine as an “undisguised involvement of NATO countries in a war against the Russian Federation.”
“We are categorically against such actions,” Lavrov said, according to Russian news agencies.
“This will mean not the allegedly hybrid, but direct, official, undisguised involvement of NATO countries in the war against the Russian Federation. This cannot be allowed.”
Macron’s rhetoric a ‘threat’
Lavrov also criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for his recent statements regarding Russia’s military posture, accusing him of making “stupid” comments and issuing a veiled nuclear threat.
“If he considers us a threat, calls a meeting of the chiefs of general staff of European countries and Britain, and says it is necessary to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons against Russia, this is, of course, a threat,” Lavrov said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Macron’s remarks as “extremely confrontational.”
Peskov said Paris appeared intent on prolonging the war in Ukraine, which Moscow sees as a proxy conflict orchestrated by the United States.
Macron, in an address to the French public on Wednesday, had warned that Russia’s military ambitions extended beyond Ukraine and argued that France and Europe must be prepared to defend themselves.
“By 2030, Russia plans to increase its army by 300,000 additional soldiers and acquire 3,000 extra jet fighters—who can believe that, in this context, Russia will stop at Ukraine?” he said.
Macron also raised the possibility of extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European allies and sending European troops to Ukraine as part of a future peacekeeping mission.
“Russia has become, at the moment I am speaking to you and for the years to come, a threat to France and Europe,” he declared. “It would be madness to remain a spectator in this world of danger.”
Ukraine seeks European support
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed gratitude for the European Union’s continued support, particularly as the United States has recently curtailed intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
ALSO READ: UK, Ukraine Sign £2.26 Bn Loan To Help Ukraine Defend Itself
Speaking ahead of a key defence summit in Brussels, Zelensky said, “We are very thankful that we are not alone.” He is set to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss defence aid and the path towards a peace settlement.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking upon his arrival at the summit, voiced optimism that the United States would reinstate military and intelligence support to Ukraine.
Transatlantic rift and European security
The diplomatic row comes amid growing uncertainty over US policy towards Ukraine, with President Donald Trump halting the supply of weapons and intelligence-sharing following a tense Oval Office meeting with the Ukrainian President.
Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also weighed in, cautioning against abandoning the US-led nuclear deterrent in favour of a European alternative.
“What we have in terms of nuclear involvement … I don’t think that should be given up,” Scholz told reporters.
However, he also warned against any “dictated peace” in Ukraine, insisting that Kyiv must secure a “just and fair peace that guarantees its sovereignty and independence.”
