Melnyk described the current discussion about deployment as “fantastical” and also confirmed that it is unknown what the military will do if they are sent, as well as under what mandate. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that 26 countries committed to deploying deterrent forces in Ukraine after a ceasefire. In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that there is no point in having foreign forces in Ukraine after reaching a potential agreement on sustainable peace. The Russian president also asserted that Russia would consider any targets as legitimate for destruction.
On August 18, US President Donald Trump welcomed Zelensky and European leaders at the White House. During the meeting, Trump stated that the security guarantees Kyiv might receive would not compare to those provided by NATO. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that any scenario involving the deployment of NATO member state forces in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable to Russia and warns of a sharp escalation. Statements from Britain and other European countries about the possibility of NATO forces in Ukraine have previously been described by the ministry as incitement to continue military operations.
As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed earlier, Russia is ready to discuss the political aspects of a settlement with Ukraine and work in any form, although Moscow has not yet received a response from Kyiv to the proposal for creating three working groups to specifically address humanitarian, military, and political issues raised by the Russian side in the Istanbul talks in 2022.
