MOSCOW (BN24) — Russia issued a fresh warning Thursday that it will not tolerate the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine under any future peace arrangement, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met European leaders in Paris and spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow rejected outright the idea of foreign troops in Ukraine, calling it unacceptable interference. “Russia does not intend to discuss unacceptable foreign intervention in Ukraine in any form whatsoever,” Zakharova said in remarks published by the ministry. She accused NATO members of treating Ukraine as “a testing ground for their military developments,” warning that Western guarantees would represent “not security for Ukraine, but a threat to the European continent.”
The comments came as Zelenskyy joined a high-level meeting in Paris with European leaders and Canadian officials, dubbed the “Coalition of the Willing,” to explore security guarantees for Ukraine tied to a possible U.S.-brokered ceasefire. French President Emmanuel Macron said afterward that 26 countries expressed readiness to contribute to a plan that could include land, sea, or air operations to reassure Ukraine and enforce peace terms. “The plan will now be taken to the U.S. with the intention of formalizing it in the coming days,” Macron said.
Trump called into the meeting, according to the White House, and urged European nations to halt Russian oil purchases that continue to fund Moscow’s war machine. He also pressed leaders to apply economic pressure on China, which Washington accuses of indirectly sustaining Russia’s war effort. “Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war,” Trump told the leaders, citing an estimated €1.1 billion in annual EU payments to Russia for fuel.
Zelenskyy later described his conversation with Trump as “long and very detailed,” emphasizing that both sides focused on economic pressure against Moscow and protection of Ukraine’s skies. “The key to peace is depriving the Russian war machine of money and resources,” Zelenskyy said. He added that Ukraine proposed a “special format” of U.S. involvement in air defense to shield civilians from Russian missile and drone attacks.
Other leaders at the Paris talks included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, while several joined virtually.
The diplomatic push comes amid uncertainty over Trump’s approach to Russia. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump defended his record on Moscow, citing tariffs and sanctions targeting India for its continued purchases of Russian oil and military equipment. “You call that no action?” Trump said when pressed by reporters. “That costs hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia.” He hinted at further penalties in “phase two” and “phase three” of sanctions if Moscow continues its war effort.
Three weeks ago, Trump met Putin in Alaska, after which he floated the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders as the next step toward peace. This week, Putin suggested a meeting could be held in Moscow, an idea Kyiv quickly dismissed as disingenuous. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sybiha wrote on X that Putin was “making knowingly unacceptable proposals.”
Trump told reporters he had “no message” for Putin, adding, “He knows where I stand. Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy, and if we’re unhappy, you’ll see things happen.”
The White House has signaled that Trump will continue direct talks with both Putin and Zelenskyy in the coming days as part of the administration’s attempt to secure a framework for peace.
