Russia will demand firm security guarantees in any peace agreement on Ukraine, ensuring that NATO nations exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine remains neutral, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview published on Monday.
The statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to gain Russian President Vladimir Putin's support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week. Putin has indicated that the ceasefire must meet specific conditions before being deemed acceptable. Trump is expected to hold talks with Putin this week to explore possible solutions for ending the three-year-long war in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff revealed in a recent interview with CNN.
In his discussion with the Russian media outlet Izvestia, Grushko emphasized that any lasting peace treaty must align with Moscow’s key demands. "We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement," he stated. These guarantees, he stressed, should include Ukraine’s neutral status and a firm commitment from NATO countries to exclude Kyiv from the alliance.
The Russian diplomat also reaffirmed Moscow’s firm opposition to NATO sending observers to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Britain and France have expressed willingness to deploy a peacekeeping force to monitor a potential ceasefire, with Australia also signaling openness to such a request.
Grushko warned that any deployment of NATO contingents in Ukraine—whether under the EU, NATO, or national banners—would be considered direct involvement in the conflict. "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," he said.
He noted that the possibility of unarmed post-conflict observers could only be discussed after a comprehensive peace agreement is reached. "We can talk about unarmed observers, a civilian mission that would monitor the implementation of individual aspects of this agreement, or guarantee mechanisms," Grushko explained. "In the meantime, it's just hot air."
French President Emmanuel Macron, in comments published on Sunday, stated that the decision to host peacekeeping forces in Ukraine should be made by Kyiv, not Moscow. However, Grushko insisted that European allies should recognize that the only viable path to regional security is ensuring Ukraine’s exclusion from NATO and preventing foreign military deployments in the country. "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," he asserted.
As diplomatic discussions continue, the future of Ukraine’s security and NATO’s role in the region remains a central issue in peace negotiations.