On August 31, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Europe is trying to sabotage the diplomatic process initiated by the US and Russia to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr. Peskov's statement comes as the West is trying to revive the plan to send troops to Ukraine, which was initiated by the UK and France in March but collapsed in the following months.
Mr. Peskov emphasized that the stance of pro-Ukrainian European leaders is not only opposite to Russian President Vladimir Putin but also in conflict with their ally, US President Donald Trump.
The conflict became more apparent when President Trump determined not to let US soldiers join the peacekeeping force to monitor a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, despite strong pressure from Europe.
Mr. Trump even affirmed that he would not provide any more weapons to Ukraine, while his ally in the European Union (EU) continuously made calculations to increase military aid to Kiev, including the intention to use frozen Russian assets.
Returning to the Kremlin spokesman's statement, Peskov said that the Western moves to prolong the conflict are part of the strategy of "preventing Russia".
According to Mr. Peskov, the reason Ukraine refuses to negotiate with Russia is due to the pressure of some NATO member states. He affirmed that this "will not bring any benefits to Kiev".
Last weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said that Europe does not want peace in Ukraine, citing their reaction to the summit between President Putin and his US counterpart in Alaska in early August.
At the time, Western European leaders only discussed ways to improve Ukraine's defense capabilities, calling on President Volodymyr Zelensky to take a tough stance, while Trump and Putin were looking to resolve the issue through negotiations.
This raises observers' questions about whether Europe's current moves will really help Ukraine find peace, or are just complicating things.
Not only that, Kiev could also face many unpredictable consequences and a series of other troubles that Russia has warned of when "peacekeeping forces" are deployed.
