Kremlin
casts doubt on Trump claim Russia would accept European troops in Ukraine
Spokesperson
reiterates position as sources say Putin is committed to Russian control of
Ukraine’s political future
Pjotr Sauer
Tue 25 Feb
2025 16.31 CET
The Kremlin
has appeared to reject Donald Trump’s claim that Vladimir Putin is open to
European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, underscoring Moscow’s reluctance to
align with Trump’s efforts to quickly end the war despite a thaw in relations.
Pushing to
deliver on a central campaign pledge, Trump asserted on Monday that the Ukraine
war “could end within weeks” and claimed that he and Putin supported the
presence of European troops on the ground.
“Yeah, he
will accept that,” Trump said, speaking to reporters during a meeting at the
White House with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
“I
specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it,” Trump added.
But at a
press conference on Tuesday, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, referred to
an earlier statement that such a move would be unacceptable to Moscow.
“There is a
position on this matter that was expressed by Russian foreign minister [Sergei]
Lavrov. I have nothing to add to this and nothing to comment on,” Peskov said.
After talks
with the US in Riyadh last week, Lavrov said the presence of European
peacekeepers in Ukraine would be “unacceptable”.
The latest
divergence weakens Trump’s push for a swift peace deal, despite intensified
diplomatic efforts, including last week’s talks and a noticeable thaw in
rhetoric between Washington and Moscow.
The
Kremlin’s rejection of western forces in Ukraine could pose a major early test
for Trump’s team in handling a public rebuke from Moscow, and also exposes
Washington’s limited influence over Putin’s willingness to make concessions.
It also
raises questions about whether European leaders will move forward with
solidifying their plans for a peacekeeping force, as Putin makes it clear that
he will not accept the presence of European troops in Ukraine as part of any
settlement.
While
Ukraine has signalled openness to territorial compromises, potentially ceding
some of its land lost since 2014, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unlikely to sign any
agreement without tangible security guarantees from the west, most notably the
presence of European troops on the ground.
Speaking in
front of Russian officials on Monday, Putin tempered expectations about
negotiations reaching a quick conclusion, saying he had only broadly discussed
the issue of resolution of the conflict in Ukraine with Trump.
“But it was
not discussed in detail,” Putin said. “We only agreed that we would move toward
this. And in this case, of course, we are not refusing the participation of
European countries [in talks].”
The Kremlin
has dismissed the idea of a simple ceasefire, arguing that Ukraine could use
the pause to rearm.
Putin has
instead insisted on addressing what he calls the “root causes” of the conflict,
citing Ukraine’s Nato membership ambitions and what he describes as an
anti-Russian government in Kyiv.
The Russian
leader remains committed to limiting the size and power of Kyiv’s military,
prohibiting foreign weapons on Ukrainian soil, ensuring Ukraine’s permanent
neutrality, and maintaining influence over its political future, according to
two people familiar with Kremlin thinking.
The sources,
speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely, said Putin
viewed the peace talks as an opportunity to reshape Europe’s security order,
with one key condition for normalising relations with the US being the
withdrawal of Nato forces from eastern Europe.
Kremlin
officials have also emphasised in public that they are unwilling to make
territorial concessions, insisting on full control over the four Ukrainian
regions Moscow claimed in 2022 – some of which it has yet to fully occupy.
Thomas
Graham, a former White House adviser on Russia who recently travelled to
Moscow, where he met Russian officials, said: “It’s quite clear from the
Russian standpoint that president Putin wants to control Ukraine and all of
Ukraine. That he wants control over Ukraine’s geopolitical orientation, to a
limited extent its domestic politics.”
Graham
added: “That his vision of a future Ukraine that’s beyond Russia’s physical
control is along the lines of the relationship that Belarus has with Russia at
this point … How you reconcile those two diverging visions, I think, is quite
difficult. That will be the sticking point. And I think the Russians are in a
position now where they realise that there will be a problem.”
For now,
Putin is likely to keep the dialogue going. Trump was accused of handing Putin
a symbolic victory when the two had a telephone call earlier this month,
breaking the western unity that had sought to isolate Moscow since the
full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The US
administration has also echoed some Russian narratives, suggesting that Ukraine
bears responsibility for a war that actually began with Russia’s invasion.
“To address
pressing issues, Russia and the US must trust each other,” Putin said on
Monday, signalling his openness to future talks with Washington.
Meanwhile,
Moscow remains committed to its military campaign, believing that battlefield
gains will only strengthen its position at the negotiating table.
While
earlier this year there were indications that Russia’s advance in eastern
Ukraine was slowing, the past week has shown a renewed push by Moscow.
According to Deep State, a Ukrainian open-source research group, Russian forces
have captured nearly 90 sq km of territory – their largest weekly gain since
December.
Ukraine at
the same time confronting the grim but realistic question of how long it can
sustain the fight if Trump decides to cut off US military support.
“With every
town and city captured, Russia’s position will only harden,” said the source
familiar with Moscow’s thinking. “Moscow has time on its side,” the source
added.
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