Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday rejected proposals to freeze the front line in Ukraine at its current position and to station European peacekeeping troops in the region.
According to Lavrov, Russia opposes the idea of establishing a dividing line between the two sides, with one part under Ukrainian control and the other under Russian control.
“That will not happen,” Lavrov said during a visit to Doha, as reported by NAN.
He explained that the Russian constitution defines the country’s territory, asserting that the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson belong to Russia, even though Russian troops do not fully control them.
Lavrov also dismissed proposals from France and other countries to deploy European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
“This aims to further fuel the conflict and undermine all attempts to calm it down,” he said.
Earlier this week, United States President Donald Trump told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European troops in Ukraine to maintain peace.
Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Washington for talks, Trump claimed that Putin would agree to European peacekeeping forces as part of a potential ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.
