Russia is categorically against the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine. This was stated by the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov.
„The idea of a hypothetical deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine is, to put it mildly, highly dubious for at least two reasons. First, the European Union is not impartial, and peacekeepers must be impartial. Secondly, Russia is categorically against it,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Ulyanov also stressed that “European officials are putting the cart before the horse” when it comes to peacekeepers in Ukraine.
France has offered its European partners to seize frozen Russian assets in the event that Moscow violates the ceasefire in Ukraine, if such is established, the British newspaper Financial Times reported, citing its sources.
According to the publication, Paris wants to use the threat of confiscation of Russian assets as a guarantee of the security of the authorities in Kiev. The publication adds that the proposal was “warmly received” by France’s allies in Europe, but the countries are still far from agreeing on it. It is noted that European countries want to use the frozen assets as “leverage to put pressure” on on Moscow.
On February 24, French President Emmanuel Macron, at a meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump in Washington, said that confiscating frozen Russian assets would be contrary to international law, which must be respected. On March 3, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking in the House of Commons of the national parliament, emphasized that the issue of using frozen Russian assets is very complex, but London will continue to work on creating a legal framework.
The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan have frozen Russian assets worth about $300 billion since the start of hostilities in Ukraine. Of these, about $5-6 billion are in the US, and the majority are in Europe, including the international platform Euroclear in Belgium, where $210 billion is stored.
European countries will not be able to participate in negotiations to settle the conflict in Ukraine, said Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin.
"If I understand correctly, negotiations have now begun between the US and Russia. This proves that Russia has a conflict not with the Ukrainians, but with the entire collective West," the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister told TASS.
According to Vulin, "the EU is pursuing a stupid policy, it does not respect its own citizens or its own interests, which is why it has fallen into anti-Russian hysteria, its economy is weakening, and its political influence is fading".
"I understand that they are trying to impose themselves and wedge themselves into the negotiation process, but they are not part of it yet," Vulin concluded.