France and UK seeking foothold in Ukraine to counter Russia, says Zakharova

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Saturday that France and the United Kingdom are seeking to maintain a foothold to counter Russia by deploying "multinational forces" in Ukraine.

In a statement commenting on the first military exercises of the so-called "Multinational Forces for Ukraine" under the "coalition of the willing," Zakharova said: "It is absolutely clear that the West continues to ignore Russia's legitimate security concerns and keeps fueling the escalation spiral."

She noted that by deploying "multinational forces" in Ukraine, London and Paris are aiming to secure a position to confront the Russian Federation and inflict a military defeat on Russia.

Zakharova added: "It should be understood that responsibility for this escalation lies entirely with those who persist in orchestrating new military adventures against Russia, while unsuccessfully trying to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on our country. These plans are doomed to fail, and all objectives and tasks set by the Russian leadership for the special military operation will be achieved."

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed that the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine is categorically unacceptable and would effectively constitute military intervention and create additional threats to Russia's security. She added that any military units in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets by the Russian armed forces, and that there is no place for Europeans at the negotiating table on Ukraine.