MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Russia has a negative attitude to the idea of deploying European peacekeepers in Ukraine, it is a step towards escalation, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in response to a TASS question.

"[Our reaction is] negative, and we have said this many times. Under whatever guise they appear there, this is a step towards escalation," he said.

Earlier, in an article for The Daily Telegraph, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he was ready to send troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee for the authorities in Kiev to resolve the conflict. However, he conditioned the possible deployment of European troops in Ukraine on guarantees from the United States.