RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER Sergei Lavrov has said any presence of European troops in Ukraine would be “absolutely unacceptable”.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he could only meet with Vladimir Putin once his allies agree security guarantees to deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops.

Lavrov also said Ukraine is “not interested” in a long-term peace deal, accusing it of seeking security guarantees incompatible with Russia’s demands.

On the front lines, Russia said it had captured the village of Oleksandro-Shultyne in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest in a long string of territorial gains.

The village lies less than eight kilometres from Kostiantynivka, a fortified town in the Donetsk region that Russia has been pressing towards on both sides.

In comments to journalists Thursday, Foreign Minister Lavrov accused Ukraine of making unrealistic security demands.

Any deployment of European troops to the country would be “absolutely unacceptable”, he said.

“The Ukrainian regime and its representatives comment on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement,” he said.

Zelenskyy separately announced that Ukraine had tested a long-range cruise missile, known as Flamingo, that can strike targets as far as 3,000 kilometres away.

“The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile,” he told reporters.

Mass production could begin by February, he added.

Talks towards peace

Since Trump returned to the White House in January and began pushing for an end to the fighting, Russian forces have continued to slowly but steadily gain ground across the front line.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces were building up troops along the front in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow claims as its own along with four other Ukrainian regions.

Trump met Putin in Alaska last Friday, before bringing Zelenskyy and European leaders to Washington for separate talks on Monday.

Zelenskyy has said the only way to end the war is a meeting with Putin, and has said Trump should be present too.

But Moscow has played down the prospect of a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy any time soon, saying it wants to be included in discussions on future security guarantees for Ukraine.