Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated that plans by Kyiv’s Western backers to establish military hubs within Ukraine constitute an “escalation” of the conflict.
Zakharova warned on Thursday that any deployment of Western troops in Ukraine would be treated as a “foreign intervention,” posing direct threats to Russia and European security. Her remarks follow recent announcements from UK and French leaders indicating they have signed a “declaration of intent” with Kyiv to deploy forces and create military facilities in the event of a peace deal with Moscow—a move Russia has repeatedly rejected.
The plan, which would involve Britain and France establishing protected weapons sites and joining U.S.-led truce monitoring efforts with a non-combat contingent of “potentially thousands,” has been condemned by Moscow as part of ongoing militarization. Zakharova asserted that such actions are “not aimed at achieving lasting peace and security, but at continued militarization, escalation, and further aggravation of the conflict.”
“The new militarist declarations of the so-called ‘coalition of willing’ and the Kiev regime are forming a true axis of war,” she stated, adding that the plans risk becoming “increasingly dangerous and destructive” for Europe.
Zakharova reiterated that Moscow believes peace is only possible through addressing the conflict’s “root causes,” including restoring Ukraine’s neutral status, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of territorial changes from the 2014 and 2022 referendums on Crimea and four Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed following a Paris meeting that Kyiv had held “substantive discussions” with U.S. negotiators regarding future Western troop deployments—a claim which Moscow has condemned as an attempt to further escalate tensions through militarization.
Hungary, which has long opposed what it describes as Western “warmongering,” warned that the troop deployment plans “risk direct war with Russia.” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated: “We support peace talks… and firmly reject this latest move toward war.”
