Russia rejects 'brazen' Western plan for multinational Ukraine force
Moscow has repeatedly railed against the idea of Western troops being deployed to Ukraine, warning that it would consider them "legitimate targets" for Russia's armed forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has slammed a European proposal to create a multinational force to police any potential peace deal in Ukraine as a "brazen" threat to Russia.
"This is not so much about security as it is about yet another attempt, you know, a brazen one... to carry out the military development of Ukrainian territory as a springboard for creating threats to the Russian Federation," Lavrov said on Friday, during a visit to Egypt.
Leaders of Kiev's key European allies - including Britain, France, Germany and Italy - said this week they were ready to deploy a European-led "multinational force Ukraine" to "assist in the regeneration of Ukraine's forces, in securing Ukraine's skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine."
Ukraine is pushing for strong security guarantees if it signs up to a deal to end the four-year war, including Western military commitments that it sees as necessary to prevent Russia from attacking once again.