Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday slammed a proposal to create a multinational force to oversee any potential peace deal in Ukraine, calling it a threat to Russia. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
“It’s not so much about security as it is about another shameless, I would say, brazen attempt for the introduction of military control over Ukrainian territory in order to use it as a springboard to threaten Russia,” Lavrov declared during his visit to Cairo, where he is participating in the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.
According to European leaders, the multinational force should be part of the “robust security guarantees” of the United States and Europe for Ukraine and should be aimed at monitoring whether Russia complies with a possible peace agreement. The US and Europe also want to help Ukraine build an army that would have 800,000 soldiers in peacetime and would be able to defend its territory again if necessary.
In connection with the ongoing negotiations, Lavrov stated that in view of Europe’s current positions, it does not see the need for its involvement in the dialogue that Russia and the USA are conducting on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He added that the Russian-American dialogue is based on the agreements that emerged from the meeting of the presidents of the US and Russia – Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin – in Alaska. According to Lavrov, there is no reason for the American administration to withdraw from this agreed position.
The second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum is being held on Friday and Saturday in Cairo with the participation of Russian and African diplomats, who will assess the state of bilateral and multilateral relations and define their perspectives.
