The State Duma assessed the proposal to deploy British peacekeepers in Ukraine

The deployment of British peacekeepers on the territory of Ukraine after the end of the conflict is unacceptable for Russia. This was stated by Duma deputy Yuri Shvytkin on Monday, January 13, responding to the relevant proposal of the former British defense ministers.

"The UK is a member of the NATO bloc, so such an option is unacceptable for us. The appearance of the alliance's peacekeepers on the territory of Ukraine will mean its occupation under the guise of a peacekeeping contingent. NATO will hatch and implement aggressive plans against our country, and this is unacceptable," the politician said in a conversation with Lenta.Ru.

According to the parliamentarian, the proposals of US President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron to deploy a contingent from the European Union on the territory of Ukraine seem just as strange. Shvytkin expressed confidence that this would only contribute to a renewed confrontation.

"All this is an aggressive, unfriendly policy against our state. Such peacekeepers cannot be in the buffer zone between us and Ukraine, because it will only serve to renew the conflict," he concluded.

Earlier, on January 12, The Telegraph reported that former British defense ministers Grant Shapps and Gavin Williamson advocated sending British peacekeepers to Ukraine, RT reported.

As Shapps noted, sending peacekeepers is only a small part of what Ukraine needs. In addition, he added that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has traveled anywhere but Kiev in the six months since his election, Life.Ru reported.

On January 11, German expert in the field of foreign and security policy Christian Melling said that if a ceasefire is established in Ukraine, the West may send peacekeepers there, reports NSN.

Earlier, on January 10, it became known that Starmer will soon visit Ukraine to discuss the deployment of peacekeeping forces there after the end of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024, added that the initiative to send peacekeepers to Ukraine was put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.