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'Uncontrollable escalation': Russia warns against NATO in Ukraine

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke on Thursday. /Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke on Thursday. /Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke on Thursday. /Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters

Moscow has rejected the idea of NATO countries sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in the conflict 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 Defense Minister Boris Pistorius about the possibility their countries might contribute troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Pistorius said in a January 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 January 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 conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 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.

Trump pressed to support Ukraine

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the U.S. to keep supplying Ukraine with weapons and said he was sure Europe was ready to pay the bill.

Trump said earlier this week that the EU should be doing more to support Ukraine.

"On Ukraine, we need the U.S. also to stay involved," Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine from its defense industrial base, the bill will be paid by the Europeans, I'm absolutely convinced of this, we have to be willing to do that."

He said Trump was right to say Europe should be paying more to help Ukraine be victorious as "it is a worldwide conflict, yes, but still Ukraine is closer to Europe than to the U.S."

Asked to elaborate on his comments, Rutte said if the U.S. kept supplying arms to Ukraine, "then it is only fair that Europe will, in terms of the financial burden of those deliveries, pay the highest burden."

Source(s): Reuters
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