Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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Russia rejects NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine, warning of escalation. UK and Germany discuss potential troop contributions.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday rejected the idea of NATO countries sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in the war with Russia, saying such a move would threaten to cause an "uncontrollable escalation".
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the idea was totally unacceptable to Russia.
At a press briefing, she referred to recent statements by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius about the possibility their countries might contribute troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Pistorius said in a Jan. 18 newspaper interview that Germany, as the largest NATO partner in Europe, would "obviously have a role to play", and the matter would be discussed in due course.
Starmer said on Jan. 16 that Britain had been discussing the idea of a peacekeeping force with other allies, and that "we will play our full part".
Russia says it is open to a dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to bring a swift end to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is seeking a meeting with Trump, said on Tuesday that at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Anastasia Teterevleva; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
The main topic is Russia's rejection of NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine, citing risks of escalation.
Maria Zakharova stated that the idea of NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia.
UK and Germany are considering contributing troops to a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
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