Security guarantees to Ukraine dangerous for Europe

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Russia on Thursday denounced the security guarantees demanded by Kiev for a peace agreement with Moscow, considering them to be "guarantees of danger to the European continent."

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reiterated that Russia considers the security guarantees requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which will be discussed Thursday at a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, "absolutely unacceptable."

"These are not guarantees of security for Ukraine, they are guarantees of danger for the European continent," Zakharova told reporters at an economic conference in Vladivostok, in Russia's Far East.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that European countries are ready to provide the security guarantees demanded by Kyiv, in a meeting with Zelensky in Paris.

"Europe is present, for the first time, with this level of commitment and intensity," said the French President, on the eve of the Coalition of the Willing meeting, which will bring together in Paris and via video conference the leaders of around 30 countries allied with Kyiv, including Portugal.

According to Macron, "the preparatory work is complete" and was carried out "in an extremely confidential manner," leaving the question of "determining Russia's sincerity and its successive commitments in proposing peace" to the United States, which has acted as the main promoter of the talks between the parties.

Following the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, co-chaired by France and the United Kingdom, details of the security guarantees that the countries involved are willing to offer Kyiv should be known, as a way to prevent further Russian aggression in the event of a peace agreement.

Zelensky noted that he has not yet seen “any sign” that Russia intends to end the invasion of his country that began on February 24, 2022.

The Ukrainian leader also expressed confidence that Europe and the United States will help Kyiv "increase pressure on Russia to move towards a diplomatic solution," as European countries threaten to impose new sanctions on Moscow.

At the end of the meeting, the French and Ukrainian presidents and other European leaders are expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.

More than three and a half years after Russia invaded Ukraine, proposals for a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv have failed.

Putin demands that Ukraine cede territories and renounce Western support and NATO membership , conditions that Kiev considers unacceptable, while calling for an immediate ceasefire as a starting point for a peace agreement, to be safeguarded by security guarantees.