Moscow has repeatedly ruled out accepting a NATO military presence in the neighboring country
Western European nations will not deploy troops to Ukraine without Russian consent, The Telegraph reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.
The UK-French initiative to deploy troops to Ukraine has been promoted as a deterrent against Russia which could follow a potential peace deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has repeatedly rejected the idea of NATO countries stationing troops there.
A senior diplomatic source told the British newspaper that members of the pro-Kiev ‘coalition of the willing’ have privately conceded that they would “only send our troops if there’s Russian consent.”
Moscow’s warnings that foreign troops would be considered legitimate military targets are taken seriously, and given that risk, “you need to send a different kind of force,” the source said, adding that Russian opposition has had “a tremendous effect” on the discussions. A European defense source described the proposed mission as “rather hypothetical.”
Some Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have previously claimed that Russia’s permission to station troops in Ukraine would not be required. According to the press reports, however, the hypothetical deployment of European NATO countries’ troops would necessitate US security guarantees.
Moscow views the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia. After the 2022 escalation, Western nations sought to isolate Russia diplomatically, but the policy backfired on European NATO members after Washington shifted course under US President Donald Trump in order to pursue a negotiated resolution.
Hardliners in Europe continue to oppose negotiations with Russia. A diplomatic source cited by The Telegraph argued that governments seeking a say in peace terms give Putin a veto over their military strategy.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – widely believed to have derailed a diplomatic resolution four years ago – told the newspaper that the US-mediated talks “are completely abstract” and urged further escalation, calling for Tomahawk cruise missiles to be supplied to Ukraine.
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