The Russian Foreign Ministry allowed the situation to escalate due to the deployment of EU peacekeepers to Ukraine.

Europe is planning to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, which could lead to an escalation of the situation. This was stated on March 13 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, during a briefing.

"Now there is a whole controversy in the NATO space regarding the prospects for the deployment of so-called troops from Europe in Ukraine. <...> The idea is not new, a year ago the President of France [Emmanuel] Macron announced his intention to send the French military, of course, to die on the territory of Ukraine," Zakharova said.

According to her, Russia has repeatedly said that such plans only lead to an escalation of the situation. The United States also understands the threat of sending "peacekeepers" to Ukraine from a military point of view.

"We know perfectly well that Western military personnel, albeit in limited numbers, even under cover, have been present in Ukraine since at least 2015 — under the guise of instructors, advisers, and some volunteers, often in violation of national criminal legislation regarding the provisions of articles prohibiting mercenary activities," Zakharova added.

Not your agenda: the West failed to Ukrainianize the G20 foreign ministers' meeting

How participants of the event in South Africa assessed the outcome of the Russia-US talks in Riyadh

Earlier, on March 11, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced other ways to ensure Ukraine's security after the cease-fire, except for sending peacekeepers.