MOSCOW (TASS) - The Coalition of the Willing’s plans to launch military drills on the eve of talks on Ukraine confirms that Europeans have no place at the negotiating table, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
“It is symbolic that the drills are set to begin right before Russia-U.S.-Ukraine consultations on resolving the conflict resume in Abu Dhabi. This once again confirms that the Europeans have no place at the negotiating table,” she pointed out.
“It is clear that the West remains unwilling to take Russia’s legitimate security concerns into account and continues to fuel the spiral of escalation,” Zakharova noted. “London and Paris expect that by deploying multinational troops to Ukraine, they will be able to maintain a foothold for continued confrontation with Russia and inflict a military defeat on our country,” she added.
“We would like to reiterate that the deployment of foreign military contingents to Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable, whether by the so-called Coalition of the Willing or under the auspices of any other association. It would in fact amount to military intervention and the deliberate creation of additional threats to Russia’s security. Essentially, it would mark another step toward greater involvement of European NATO members in the conflict and its further escalation,” she pointed out, commenting on the Coalition of the Willing’s planned military drills.