Russia’s Foreign Minister blasts Keir Starmer’s ‘completely unacceptable’ Ukraine peacekeeping plans – saying troops from Nato nations can NEVER patrol ‘under some other flag’ as Russia and US open talks on ending Putin’s war

Russia’s overseas minister has blasted Keir Starmer’s peacekeeping plans and says troops from Nato nations can by no means patrol in Ukraine ‘below another flag’.

Sergey Lavrov mentioned it was ‘utterly unacceptable’ for peacekeepers to patrol the Russia-Ukraine border below any deal. 

‘Any look by armed forces below another flag doesn’t change something. It’s after all utterly unacceptable,’ he mentioned. 

And his deputy Alexander Grushko added: ‘Underneath no matter guise they seem there, this can be a step in the direction of escalation.’ 

Moscow issued the chilling warning after the PM mentioned he was ready to deploy British troops to Ukraine to assist police any ceasefire deal.

The event got here after the primary talks geared toward ending the conflict acquired below means between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia. 

The conflict highlights the slender path to peace within the coming months – with the US mentioned to be trying to strike a ceasefire deal by Easter. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who negotiated alongside US Nationwide Safety Advisor Michael Waltz, and US Center East envoy Steve Witkoff in Riyadh, mentioned the talks have been a ‘first step of an extended and tough journey’.

In an effort to ease fears {that a} deal could possibly be imposed on Ukraine, he acknowledged any peace pact must be ‘acceptable’ to ‘everybody’ and that President Trump needed to ‘carry an finish to this battle in a means that is truthful, enduring, sustainable’.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press convention with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — February 18, 2025

U.S. and Russian officers agreed a brand new four-point plan as they sat down in Riyadh however whether or not a full deal can materialize stays to be seen amid questions over Ukraine’s involvement within the negotiation course of.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was livid at being reduce out of the primary assembly and cancelled his personal deliberate go to to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. 

Rubio, U.S. Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov on the lavish Diriyah Palace.

It was the primary spherical of talks because the U.S. seems to be to dealer a peace deal to finish the conflict that has been raging since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

There was no rapid settlement on when Trump and Putin will meet in individual to debate ending the conflict. 

The breakthrough talks got here after Trump spoke with Putin final week because the U.S. strikes away from isolating Russia, however Ukrainian officers weren’t current for the sit-down within the Center East.

Rubio mentioned that the U.S. and Russians agreed on 4 ideas throughout their assembly as they begin the preliminary steps towards a deal. 

First, he mentioned the U.S. and Moscow will work to reestablish their respective diplomatic missions in one another’s nations to allow them to transfer ahead with extra communication.

Second, Rubio mentioned the U.S. will appoint a high-level crew to assist negotiate, and third, they may start to debate geopolitical and financial cooperation that might assist resolve the battle.

Fourth, he mentioned that the 5 individuals who have been concerned within the first assembly will stay engaged, in order that they know it’s transferring alongside ‘in a productive means.’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (middle), Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz (proper) and U.S. Center East envoy Steve Witkoff (left) assembly with senior Russian officers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 18

Rubio mentioned they might not pre-negotiate and it could contain ‘laborious and tough diplomacy’ over a time period, however he claimed solely Trump might facilitate an finish to the conflict.

‘The one chief on the planet who could make this occur, who may even carry folks collectively to start to speak about it in a severe means is President Trump,’ the secretary of state mentioned. 

Rubio additionally mentioned that ‘to ensure that the battle to finish, everybody concerned in that battle needs to be OK with it.’

He famous it has been greater than three years since there was any ‘regularized’ contact between the U.S. and Russia.

Lavrov echoed Rubio’s remarks and mentioned that ‘the dialog was very helpful.’

He added: ‘We not solely listened, but additionally heard one another.’

The talks mirrored a rare about-face in U.S. overseas coverage below President Trump.

It appeared to sign a major easing of restrictions on Russian diplomatic missions within the U.S. that have been imposed by earlier administrations.

The 2 nations have expelled diplomats and restricted the appointment of recent employees at one another’s missions in a collection of tit-for-tat measures over the previous decade, leaving their respective embassies thinly staffed.

Rubio mentioned these strikes had ‘actually diminished our potential to function in Moscow’ and that Russia would say the identical about its mission in Washington.

He mentioned: ‘We will have to have vibrant diplomatic missions which can be capable of perform usually so as to have the ability to proceed these conduits.’

Waltz, Trump’s Nationwide Safety Advisor, mentioned the 2 sides agreed that there wanted to be a everlasting finish to the conflict and never a brief pause.

He mentioned there can be dialogue of territory in addition to safety ensures which is able to underlie any talks that they’ve. 

Nevertheless, Waltz wouldn’t say whether or not the U.S. would comply with Russia retaining any Ukrainian territory it had annexed because it invaded three years in the past, solely that it was to be mentioned.

‘What the president didn’t discover acceptable was an countless conflict in Europe that was  actually turning into, has was, a meat grinder of individuals on each side,’ Waltz mentioned.

A picture of the senior U.S. officers assembly with Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov (second from proper) and Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov (far proper) offered by the Russian Overseas Ministry 

Talking after the talks, Russia’s deputy overseas minister warned that Russia wouldn’t settle for European or NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine to police any truce deal, hitting again at a proposal this morning by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

The talks got here lower than every week after Trump and Putin spoke by cellphone. The president additionally spoke with Zelensky by cellphone, he revealed. 

Zelensky signaled Ukraine might see the conflict coming to an finish, however he has been pushing for safety ensures as a part of the peace course of.  

The Ukrainian president responded to the talks between the U.S. and Russia on Tuesday from Ankara, Turkey the place he was assembly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

He mentioned Ukraine is not going to ‘give in to Russia’s ultimatums’ as slammed the U.S. and Russians holding one-on-one talks.

Erdogan mentioned his nation could be an ‘excellent host’ for talks between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. sooner or later.

‘I’m wondering why they consider Ukraine would settle for all these ultimatums now if we refused them on the most tough second,’ the Ukrainian President mentioned, referring to Kyiv’s refusal to bow to Moscow’s calls for throughout disaster talks in the beginning of the conflict. 

‘As President of Ukraine, I’ve by no means given any ensures to anybody or confirmed something. Furthermore, I’ve by no means meant to simply accept Russia’s ultimatums. And I’m not going to,’ Zelensky mentioned. 

Zelensky additionally revealed he was cancelling is personal deliberate go to to Saudi Arabia. 

On Monday, Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine and European leaders weren’t invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and mentioned Ukraine can’t acknowledge any peace settlement with out its personal participation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on February 18

European leaders assembly on the Elysee Palace in Paris on February 17

Though they have been additionally not on the desk in Riyadh, different European leaders have additionally engaged in discussions of a peace deal. 

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with different European leaders in Paris the place they addressed the conflict in Ukraine. The assembly occurred after Macron spoke with Trump. He additionally had a name with Zelensky. 

Macron mentioned the leaders desire a ‘robust and lasting peace in Ukraine.’

‘To attain this, Russia should finish its aggression, and this have to be accompanied by robust and credible safety ensures for the Ukrainians,’ Macron mentioned in an announcement.

He signaled the Europeans, Individuals and Ukrainians would all work on it and that European nations will make investments extra of their safety and protection. 

Rubio on Tuesday pushed again on the accusation that Europeans and Ukrainians have been sidelined within the negotiation course of, arguing for 3 years ‘nobody has been capable of carry collectively one thing like’ their Tuesday assembly. 

‘Nobody is being sidelined right here,’ the secretary of state mentioned. ‘However President Trump is able that he campaigned on, to provoke a course of that might result in an finish to this battle.’

Rubio claimed the one factor Trump is making an attempt to do is result in peace, which he campaigned on.

Waltz mentioned U.S. allies are being consulted each day, and that may proceed. 

Putin ‘s overseas minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday declared that Moscow has no plans to provide territory it has seized in Ukraine again over to Kyiv

After the assembly, the Russians issued their very own set of calls for because the negotiations transfer ahead. 

Russian overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned that NATO membership for Ukraine is unacceptable to Moscow. 

She added: ‘It’s value noting {that a} refusal to simply accept Kyiv into NATO just isn’t sufficient. The alliance should disavow the Bucharest guarantees of 2008.’

At a summit within the Romanian capital in 2008, NATO declared that each Ukraine and Georgia would be a part of the protection alliance however gave them no plan for the right way to get there.

Whereas each side have been laying out their calls for, Rubio mentioned on Tuesday that whether or not or not a peace settlement can in the end be reached can be decided by whether or not each side agree. He didn’t go into specifics. 

He mentioned the assembly was the beginning of a dialog and set the desk for future dialogue, however ‘how that seems can be as much as the events.’