Asked about Moscow’s position on a possible European peacekeeping force Zelenskyy meeting Russia of a peace deal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, “We view such discussions negatively.”

Peskov emphasized that Russia rejects EU troops in Ukraine was one of the main factors that prompted its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He further stated that Moscow will never welcome the presence of Western forces in Ukraine.

Ukraine, for its part, has been demanding ironclad security guarantees to avoid future Ukraine war EU troops, while Moscow has been calling on Kyiv to cede additional territory in its eastern regions. Peskov emphasized that security guarantees are “still one of the most significant motifs ” being considered, without giving fresh details.

The Kremlin sought to temper prospects of an early peak between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating that conversations would only be possible if they are “properly prepared” and if they would produce tangible results. Peskov stated that while Russian and Ukrainian intercessors remain in contact, a date for the coming round of addresses has not yet been determined.

Zelensky, on the other hand, indicted Moscow of designedly dragging its bases. In his evening videotape address, the Ukrainian chairman said that Russia is standing in the way of trying to set up a meeting between the two leaders despite EU- Ukraine relations by the U.S. and other Western countries.

“The current Russia Ukraine conflict is, frankly, indecent. They are trying to avoid the necessity of meeting. They don’t want to end this war,” Zelensky said in the statement posted on social media.