Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the presence of European troops in Ukraine would be"absolutely unacceptable" for the Russian Federation. The head of Russian diplomacy also claims that Ukraine is not interested in a long-term peace agreement and is seeking security guarantees incompatible with Russia's demands. TASR reports this according to an AFP report.

When asked by journalists about the possible presence of European troops in Ukraine, Lavrov replied that it would be a"foreign intervention in parts of Ukrainian territory."

European interventions in Ukraine

"The Ukrainian regime and its representatives are expressing their views on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term solution," the Russian minister said.

US President Donald Trump wants to reach a peace deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine, and one of Kiev's priorities is security guarantees against Russian aggression. Trump has said he will not send US ground troops to its territory, but may offer air support. European countries have already formed a"coalition of the willing" that would deploy their forces to guarantee Ukraine's security after a ceasefire.

Proposals for security guarantees

Lavrov said the best option for a security guarantee for Ukraine would be agreements based on the 2022 Russian-Ukrainian talks that took place after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The draft document, seen by Reuters, called for Ukraine to agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China.

The Russian minister also accused the leaders of European countries of trying to undermine the progress made at last week's summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky

Trump is also trying to arrange a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader said on Thursday that a meeting with Putin would only be possible after an agreement between Ukraine, the United States and other Western allies on security guarantees.

Lavrov said the Kremlin chief was ready to meet with Zelensky, but all necessary issues needed to be discussed first. He also questioned whether Zelensky had the authority to sign a potential agreement.

"And of course with the understanding that when and if - let's hope when - it comes to signing future agreements, the issue of the legitimacy of the person who will sign these agreements from the Ukrainian side will be resolved," the head of Russian diplomacy said.

Legitimacy of Zelensky's mandate

The Russian president has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Zelensky, whose presidential mandate expires in May 2024. According to Ukrainian authorities, he remains a full-fledged head of state because the state of war following Russia's invasion in February 2022 does not allow for new elections.