Russia will insist on “ironclad” guarantees in any peace agreement on Ukraine, ensuring Kyiv remains neutral and is permanently excluded from NATO membership, a Russian deputy foreign minister stated in remarks published on Monday.
US President Donald Trump is seeking President Vladimir Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine accepted last week. However, Putin has indicated that specific conditions must be met for the proposal to be viable.
Trump is expected to speak with Putin this week about potential ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday after returning from what he described as a “positive” meeting with Putin in Moscow.
In a wide-ranging interview with Russian media outlet Izvestia, which did not mention the ceasefire proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko emphasized that any lasting peace treaty must address Moscow’s demands.
“We will require that ironclad security guarantees be included in this agreement,” Izvestia quoted Grushko as saying.
“These guarantees must include Ukraine’s neutral status and a firm commitment from NATO nations to reject Ukraine’s membership in the alliance.”
Grushko also reaffirmed Moscow’s firm opposition to NATO observers being deployed in Ukraine.
Britain and France have expressed willingness to send a peacekeeping force to oversee any ceasefire, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that his country was also open to such requests.
“It does not matter under what designation NATO forces enter Ukrainian territory—whether under the European Union, NATO, or in a national capacity,” Grushko said.
“If they are deployed, it means they are positioned in the conflict zone, which would make them direct participants in the war, with all the consequences that come with it.”
Grushko suggested that discussions about unarmed post-conflict observers could only take place once a peace deal is finalized.
“We can talk about unarmed observers or a civilian mission that would oversee the implementation of specific aspects of the agreement or guarantee mechanisms,” he said. “Until then, it’s just empty talk.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, in comments published on Sunday, stated that the decision to deploy peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is a matter for Kyiv to determine, not Moscow.
Grushko stressed that Ukraine’s European allies must recognize that the only viable path to regional stability is excluding Ukraine from NATO and preventing the stationing of foreign military forces on its soil.
“Only then will Ukraine’s security, as well as the broader stability of the region, be assured—since one of the root causes of the conflict will be eliminated,” Grushko said.
