Russian Foreign Ministry Calls French Idea of Sending Peacekeepers to Ukraine 'Gamble'
© Sputnik . Natalia Seliverstova
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Paris' idea of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine is a gamble that is fraught with direct confrontation on the battlefield, including that of nuclear powers, Artyom Studennikov, the director of the First European Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik.
Deployment of European forces in Ukraine without Moscow's consent would be a direct participation in the conflict on Kiev's side, he said.
"It is clear that the consequences for such a senseless gamble, fraught with direct battlefield confrontation, including that of nuclear powers, may be most tragic," Studennikov added.
The deployment of a peacekeeping mission would require consent from parties to the conflict and approval from the UN Security Council, the diplomat said.
"Discussions of such developments are pointless because root causes of the conflict have not yet been eliminated. Moreover, France, continuing to pump weapons into the Kiev regime, is the least suitable candidate for a peacekeeper," Studennikov added.
