Lavrov condemns European plan for multinational force in Ukraine as “blatant” threat

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday criticized a European proposal to form a multinational force to oversee any potential peace agreement in Ukraine, calling it a “blatant” threat to Russia.

Speaking during a visit to Cairo, Lavrov said, “This isn’t really about security so much as another, you know, blatant attempt… to turn Ukrainian territory into a platform for creating threats against the Russian Federation.”

The European proposal, aimed at monitoring and supporting the implementation of a ceasefire or peace deal in Ukraine, has drawn strong opposition from Moscow, which perceives any international military presence near its borders as a strategic challenge.