Russian ambassador to France warns Europe against sending troops to Ukraine

Moscow will regard the dispatch of the European military contingent to Ukraine as an escalation of the conflict. This was stated by Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov in a conversation with RIA Novosti on February 6.

"Naturally, the deployment of troops during the ongoing hostilities means a de facto declaration of war with all the ensuing consequences," he said.

Meshkov also emphasized that the deployment of any third-country forces in Ukraine requires the consent of both Kiev and Moscow.

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Reuters reported on December 18, 2024, that European leaders were discussing sending 100,000 military personnel to Ukraine in case of a ceasefire and signing a peace agreement.

Later, on January 15, The Telegraph newspaper reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were considering sending peacekeepers to Ukraine. It was specified that the details of these talks are still being kept secret. According to the newspaper, Starmer has not made a final decision yet. For his part, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on 18 January did not rule out sending German troops to the special operation zone.

In addition, on January 24, it became known that European officials are seeking to get US President Donald Trump to send American peacekeeping forces to Ukraine to provide security guarantees for the Eastern European country. Two days later, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime, said that any peacekeepers who entered Ukraine "without Russia's consent and authorization" would become a legitimate military target for the Russian Armed Forces.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.