Russia says European troops in Ukraine 'unacceptable', Kyiv 'not interested' in long-term peace

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said any presence of European troops in Ukraine would be "absolutely unacceptable", as Kyiv's allies worked on security guarantees for the country.

"This would be absolutely unacceptable for the Russian Federation," Lavrov said in response to a journalist's question about security guarantees for Ukraine, calling them "foreign intervention in some part of Ukrainian territory."

"The Ukrainian regime and its representatives comment on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement," Lavrov said.