Kremlin: "It is dangerous to talk about sending EU troops to Ukraine"

The ongoing discussions in European countries, particularly in France, about the possible sending of a contingent to Ukraine represent "an absolutely dangerous trend".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this. Sending troops from NATO countries will create "additional root causes of the conflict," the spokesman added, quoted by Ria Novosti.

Meanwhile, Peskov confirmed that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will have a telephone conversation tomorrow. Russia and the United States are on the path to restoring bilateral relations, he added, and the telephone conversation scheduled for tomorrow between the two presidents is an important step. "We are moving forward on the path of reactivating our bilateral relations, restoring various ways of dialogue at different levels," Peskov said. "This is a very important step that sets the tone for the rest of the movement."

Trump himself is accelerating the truce in Ukraine, trusting in an upcoming declaration of peace. "We have a very good chance of ending this war," the American president declared aboard Air Force One, showing optimism despite the Kremlin leader not having yet lifted his reservations about the one-month ceasefire proposed by the United States and already accepted by Volodymyr Zelensky. Indeed, Putin has so far held back, outlining a series of conditions, including the suspension of Ukraine's rearmament and Western military aid.

"We worked hard over the weekend," explained The Donald, who spoke of "progress" in the negotiations. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt reiterated that "we are a few steps away" from an agreement. "We have never been closer to peace than we are right now: we are in the last 10 yards. And the president, as you know, is determined to reach an agreement," even going so far - according to some sources at Semafor - as to the recognition of Russian Crimea. "We will talk about lands, which as you know are very different from what they were before the war, and we will talk about power plants," the commander-in-chief specified in response to a question about the "concessions" needed to reach an agreement.

This will be the most difficult knot to untie. While Zelensky continues to reiterate that the sovereignty and integrity of his country are non-negotiable, Putin has made the withdrawal of Kiev's troops from all four militarily conquered and illegally annexed regions - Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - a condition for peace . And then there is the issue of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe now controlled by Russia. It is likely that Trump was referring to the strategic plant when he said he had "discussed a lot with Russia and Ukraine" to "divide certain assets". After the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office , the Ukrainian leader accepted the idea of having to give in on some points but continues to push for assurances on long-term security, including the strengthening of his army.

“This is an immutable priority and there is no turning back on this issue. Ukraine’s defense and security forces, defense industrial complex, and multi-level interaction with partners are the foundation of our independence,” he wrote on Telegram after a meeting with his defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and the new chief of staff, General Andriy Gnatov. With Ukraine’s dream of joining NATO having faded, at least for the duration of Trump’s presidency, Zelensky can still count on the support of the European Union, Great Britain, and Canada, which are working together to build a defensive umbrella for Kiev and ensure that Russia is committed to lasting peace. The Canadian prime minister spoke with the Ukrainian president over the weekend and invited him to the G7 summit in Alberta next June.

Meanwhile, ahead of the talks with Putin, the Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the international body established in 2023 by the European Union to investigate the leaders responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the Russian president. This is the latest in a series of decisions that indicate Washington's gradual rapprochement with Moscow, after the weekend's dismantling of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. It is no coincidence that the Kremlin welcomed the decision to freeze US government funding for the broadcasters that spokesman Peskov branded as "propaganda media, purely propaganda."

(Online Union)