Russia Wants “Ironclad” Guarantees, NATO Exclusion for Ukraine

MOSCOW: Russia is demanding “ironclad” security guarantees in any peace deal on Ukraine, with a key condition being that NATO nations exclude Ukraine from membership and ensure the country remains neutral. This statement was made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in an interview with the Russian media outlet Izvestia, published on Monday.

Grushko emphasized that any long-term peace agreement with Ukraine must include Moscow’s demands for security assurances. He further clarified that these guarantees should ensure Ukraine’s neutral status and a commitment from NATO countries to refrain from accepting Ukraine into the alliance.

“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Grushko said. “Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of NATO countries to accept it into the alliance.”

Moscow has repeatedly opposed the deployment of NATO observers to Ukraine, a stance Grushko reaffirmed during the interview. Both Britain and France have expressed willingness to send peacekeeping forces to monitor any ceasefire, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also signaling his country’s openness to such requests.

However, Grushko warned that NATO contingents, regardless of the label—whether European Union, NATO, or national forces—deployed to Ukraine would be considered part of the conflict. He emphasized that their presence would have significant consequences.

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“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict,” Grushko stated.

Grushko also mentioned that the deployment of unarmed post-conflict observers could only be discussed once a peace agreement is in place. He noted that any discussions on civilian missions to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement should wait until an actual deal is reached.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in remarks published on Sunday, suggested that the stationing of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine was a matter for Kyiv to decide, not Moscow. However, Grushko insisted that European allies of Kyiv should understand that Ukraine’s exclusion from NATO and the removal of the possibility of foreign military deployments on its soil were necessary to ensure regional security.

“Then the security of Ukraine and the entire region in a broader sense will be ensured, since one of the root causes of the conflict will be eliminated,” Grushko concluded.