Moscow on Thursday, January 8th, branded Ukraine and its European supporters an “axis of war,” rejecting—as unacceptable and dangerous—agreements reached by Kyiv’s allies on the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force.
The comments marked Russia’s first reaction after European leaders and U.S. envoys said they had agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine, including a U.S.-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed if a ceasefire is achieved. Russian officials dismissed the initiative as “militarist” and signalled it would not bring the conflict closer to an end as the war approaches its fourth year.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said any foreign units or facilities operating in Ukraine would be viewed as legitimate military targets, reiterating Moscow’s long-standing opposition to the presence of NATO-linked troops on Ukrainian soil.
The declaration signed in Paris envisages Britain, France, and other ‘coalition of the willing’ member European countries sending troops after a potential ceasefire but key details remain unclear. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had yet to receive firm assurances on how such forces would respond to (currently hypothetical) Russian attacks in future.
