Russia open to civilian observers in Ukraine under possible peace deal

Russia is open to allowing unarmed observers and civilian missions in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on March 16, according to state-owned news agency TASS.

"A peace treaty may provide for unarmed observers in Ukraine, a civilian mission to monitor the implementation of certain aspects of the agreement, or guarantee mechanisms," Grushko said.

Kyiv has said that strong security guarantees are essential for any peace agreement. The deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Ukraine has been considered as one possible option.

"If we talk about a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine, of course, it will have an external contour. We will demand that ironclad security guarantees be part of this agreement," Grushko said.

The official reiterated that Russia sees Ukraine's "neutrality" and NATO non-membership as essential parts of any agreement.

Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022. While the alliance declared in 2024 that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," no formal invitation has been extended.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 that Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a deal, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has publicly rejected the idea.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented plans to send 10,000 peacekeeping troops to Ukraine during a high-level virtual summit in London on March 15, Sunday Times reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Kyiv does not need Russia's approval to invite peacekeeping troops into its territory.

Bloomberg reported on March 10 that Putin has set "maximalist" demands — including territorial concessions, peacekeeper restrictions, and Ukraine’s neutrality — knowing they will likely be unacceptable to Kyiv and its Western allies.