Kremlin accuses Europe of ‘obstructing’ Ukraine settlement

The Kremlin on Friday accused European countries of blocking efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, a day after European allies of Kyiv met to discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any future peace deal.

Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, “The Europeans are obstructing the settlement in Ukraine. They are not contributing to it,” accusing Europe of trying to turn Ukraine into a hub for anti-Russian activities.

Peskov also stressed that security guarantees for Ukraine could not come from foreign troops. According to Reuters, the Kremlin argued that much work remains before any high-level talks between Moscow and Kyiv could take place to end the conflict.

On Thursday, 26 countries pledged to provide Ukraine with postwar security guarantees, including potential land, naval, and air force support.

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Peskov told Russia’s state news agency RIA, “Can foreign troops, especially American and European, provide security guarantees for Ukraine? Of course they cannot. This cannot be considered a security guarantee for Ukraine, nor would it be acceptable to our country.”

Despite international diplomatic efforts, including those led by former US President Donald Trump, there is still no end in sight to the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.