LONDON, February 26. /TASS/. The deployment of troops from NATO countries in Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities there is completely unacceptable to Russia, and this position is unlikely to change anytime soon, former UK Ambassador to Moscow (2004-2008) Anthony Brenton told TASS.
"All this talk of basing UK, French, whatever, troops in Ukraine as part of a peace settlement are obviously going to be entirely unacceptable to Russia," the former diplomat said. In his opinion, progress on this issue requires not just the passage of time, such as "a few more months," but also "a sharp change of attitude" by one side or the other, including based on the situation on the battlefield.
Brenton noted that Great Britain has "been planning in detail for precisely placing British troops and other troops in Ukraine when you get to a peace deal." "So there are big gaps of that sort. And, as I say, there's no clear sign even of the direction that things are going to move in until the situation on the ground pressurizes one or the other side to adjust, to move closer to the other," the former diplomat added.
On February 25, UK Defense Minister John Healey stated that personnel from the British Army and Royal Air Force have begun preparing for deployment in Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached. He explained that ·200 million ($270 million) has already been allocated for these purposes.
Russia has consistently opposed NATO presence in Ukraine. Earlier, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that ensuring Ukraine’s security through "foreign military intervention in some part of Ukrainian territory" would be unacceptable for Russia.