NATO: the Foreign Ministry ruled out a deal on Ukraine without guarantees of Russia's security

Security guarantees for Russia should be an obligatory part of the peace treaty on Ukraine. This was stated to Izvestia by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko. Among them is the exclusion of Ukraine's possible membership in NATO and the refusal to deploy foreign troops on its territory, the diplomat noted. Russia may demand that security guarantees be fixed in a future agreement at the next trilateral negotiations with the United States and Ukraine, according to the expert community. The date of the new meeting has not yet been determined, but the Kremlin claims that it may take place soon.

Guarantees of Russia's security

An international security conference will be held in Munich this week, at which Kiev's European allies are likely to once again declare full solidarity with Ukraine. Europe is still ready to send its armed forces to the country after the conclusion of a peace agreement, but the EU avoids discussing Moscow's security guarantees.

Photo: Global Look Press/IMAGO/diebildwerft

—We recognize that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine must take into account Ukraine's security interests, but the key importance is, of course, Russia's security interests," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia. — If you look at and carefully study all the statements made by the leaders of the European Union, no one talks about guarantees of Russia's security. And this is a key element of reaching an agreement. Without him, no peace treaty is possible.

According to the diplomat, the guarantees should include the exclusion of the prospect of Ukraine's membership in NATO, the refusal to deploy foreign troops on its territory and, in general, assurances that Ukraine will not pose a threat, and it itself will cease to be considered as a springboard for fighting the Russian Federation.

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At the same time, Russia has repeatedly reiterated that it is ready to support the guarantees of Ukraine's security developed during negotiations with Kiev in 2022. At that time, it was proposed to include in the peace agreement a clause on the development of guarantees by the permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, China, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom), with the possible accession of Germany, Turkey, and other countries. At the same time, Russia is not against Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Photo: Global Look Press/Benoit Doppagne/Keystone Press Agency

Russia also recognizes the need to address the concerns of its European neighbors. At the end of 2025, Moscow offered to sign a document with a guarantee not to attack Europe. "We are ready to set out appropriate guarantees in writing in a legal document on a collective and reciprocal basis," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in December. However, according to Alexander Grushko, the Europeans still have not responded to Moscow's initiative.

— This element is absent from the position of the European Union as such. At the same time, they persistently seek a "place at the negotiating table." But this position generally excludes not only constructive, but simply any significant participation in the peace process. I'm not even talking about negotiations," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.

The United States also does not talk about guarantees for Russia. Washington had previously stated that a "general agreement" had been reached for Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow invited Washington to discuss a system of security guarantees back in September, Sergey Lavrov previously reported (that is, almost immediately after the talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska). The Russian Federation assumes that the draft treaties submitted to the West in 2021 may become the starting point for discussions. Then, in particular, it was proposed to legally fix the refusal to expand NATO to the east, including at the expense of Ukraine.

Photo: Global Look Press/Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa

Russia may raise the issue of security guarantees at the next peace talks in Abu Dhabi, says Andrei Kortunov, an expert at the Valdai Club.

"If the Russian side gets a mandate to discuss these issues, especially if our negotiating group is somehow supplemented, we can start discussing this," he told Izvestia.

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How are the negotiations on Ukraine going?

The first two rounds of negotiations between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in the UAE ended on a positive note. The Kremlin reported that new ones may take place soon, but there are no specific dates yet. Although the details of the meetings were not disclosed, the parties stated that they were productive and constructive. The result of the last round (February 4-5) was a prisoner exchange under the "157 for 157" formula, with both military and civilians returning home. Moscow and Washington also agreed to resume high-level contacts between the Defense Ministry and the Pentagon.

Special Envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff said that the participants discussed ways to implement a cease-fire and monitor the cessation of hostilities. Kirill Dmitriev, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for Investment and Economic cooperation with foreign countries, spoke about active work on restoring economic relations with the United States.

Photo: REUTERS/UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a breakthrough in the settlement in Ukraine is possible only if the agreements reached in Anchorage are respected. At the same time, according to Sergey Lavrov, the United States is moving away from them.

"In Anchorage, we accepted the offer of the United States,— he said in his last interview, published on February 9. — Apart from what they seemed to suggest about Ukraine and we were ready (now they are not ready), we also do not see any "rosy" future in the economic sphere.

Western media claim that the territorial issue remains the most difficult topic right now. Moscow insists on the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas, while Ukraine refuses to do so. The Financial Times newspaper wrote that the United States is ready to provide security guarantees for Kiev if it agrees to a peace agreement that provides for territorial concessions. However, the White House denied this information.

Photo: REUTERS/Iryna Rybakova

It is possible that Donald Trump wants to create a set of additional bonuses for Ukraine in order to get it to agree on the issue of territories as soon as possible. Perhaps this explains why the issue of security guarantees for it is being actively discussed, but not for Russia, Andrei Kortunov believes.

- Trump tells Zelensky: "We still need to leave Donbass, but so that our own people don't "eat" you later, let's develop a system of security guarantees that you can sell to your constituents." I think that's the logic," the analyst noted. — If you follow Trump's rhetoric over the past year, he recognized that not only Ukraine, but also Russia should also receive its security guarantees.

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The Reuters news agency previously wrote that Trump discussed with Zelensky in the fall the need to provide security guarantees to both Kiev and Moscow. Then he rejected Ukraine's demand to transfer Tomahawk cruise missiles to it.