Russia refuses to negotiate the presence of European troops in Ukraine: "There is no room for compromise"

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, maintained at a press conference that there is "no possible compromise" on the presence of European military in Ukraine. Such a deployment would amount to a direct presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Lavrov opined at a press conference reported by the official TASS news agency.

The Kremlin's official stance became known at the same time as European Union leaders began a summit on the continent's security and support for Ukraine, following the withdrawal of U.S. military and intelligence aid.

Britain and France said they were ready to send soldiers to Ukrainian soil as peacekeepers in the face of an eventual truce. "They would not go to fight today, they would not go to fight on the front line, but they would be there, once peace is signed, to ensure that it is fully respected," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

In recent hours, Turkey also expressed readiness to participate in a foreign force corps in Ukraine. "The issue of contributing to a mission will be evaluated with all parties concerned if it is deemed necessary for the establishment of regional stability and peace," the Turkish Defense Ministry maintained in a statement. "After the latest developments, it is not possible to ensure European security without our country."

Trump's stance

The Trump Administration rejected outright sending American soldiers. The Administration instead promotes an agreement with Kiev for the mineral exploitation in Ukraine. That one, he argues, would serve as a security guarantee because it would put U.S. economic interests, and perhaps even workers, in the territory at risk. Other guarantees could be negotiated later, after the aggression has ceased.

Although Volodimir Zelensky first argued for the presence of American troops (difference of opinions that was one of the causes of the tense summit in Washington), the Ukrainian president later communicated to Trump that he was willing to move the agreement forward.