Despite US President, Donald Trump’s pledge to bring a swift end to the conflict, Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on the terms of any potential peace agreement.
This comes as Russia has flatly rejected the prospect of any talks that consider the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova asserted that Russia would not entertain discussion of an international post-conflict security force.
Zakharova told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that Russia is not going to discuss “the fundamentally unacceptable and security-undermining foreign intervention in Ukraine in any form, in any format.”
Zakharova said that European leaders, who are working on plans for a multinational force in the event of an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, should take note that the “next time they aim to discuss this topic, they should have a pointer in the form of Russia’s position.” She added, “Judging by Ukraine’s losses, the European Commission has simply outdone itself.”
Zakharova made her comments after European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen told a news agency earlier this week that the European Union had “pretty precise plans” for deploying a multinational force to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders are set to meet in Paris today, Thursday, September 4, 2025, to firm up details of post-conflict security guarantees for Kyiv.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the details of the security guarantees for Ukraine had been worked out but remained “extremely confidential.”
“We are ready, we the Europeans, to offer the security guarantees to Ukraine and Ukrainians the day that a peace [accord] is signed.”
Emmanuel Macron
Russia has said that any deal with Ukraine would need to include land in four regions it has annexed since 2022, while Kyiv has ruled out ceding any territory.
Trump is scheduled to speak with Zelenskyy by phone today. Zelenskyy said he hoped to speak to Trump to push for new sanctions on Russia.
Trump Issues Thinly Veiled Threat To Russia
In other developments, President Donald Trump issued a thinly veiled threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine, warning of unspecified consequences if he is unhappy with Moscow’s next steps in its conflict with Kyiv.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that he planned to talk to Putin in the coming days, but the Russian leader was aware of his administration’s stance on the war.
“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other.
“Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy. And if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
Donald Trump
Trump’s comments came after Putin said earlier that he would be willing to meet his Ukrainian counterpart in Moscow amid the US President’s push for an agreement to end the war.
Putin made the comments at the end of his visit to China, where he attended Beijing’s commemorations of the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.
“Donald asked me for such a meeting. I said: ‘Yes, it’s possible, let Zelenskyy come to Moscow.’ I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting,” Putin said. “But is there any point? Let’s see.”
Vladimir Putin
Putin added that Moscow would achieve its aims in Ukraine militarily if it could not reach an agreement. “Let’s see how the situation develops,” Putin said.
Responding to Putin’s comments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha said that there were “serious proposals” by seven countries to host a meeting between the two leaders, which Zelenskyy was ready for at “any point in time.”
He noted that yet, Putin “continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals.” He emphasized that only increased pressure can force Russia to “finally get serious” about the peace process.
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