Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko also said in an interview with Russian daily Izvestia that discussions on peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine remain premature and should only take place after a formal peace agreement has been reached.

He reaffirmed Russia's stance that the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine –whether under the banner of the EU, NATO, or individual national forces – would effectively place them in the conflict zone, making them direct participants with all the consequences that entails.

As a possible alternative, he said that an unarmed observer mission or a civilian monitoring group could be considered to oversee certain aspects of a potential peace deal. Grushko said any peace deal will exclude Ukraine from NATO membership and Ukraine will remain neutral.

The Times reported, citing a British military source, that European nations plan to deploy at least 10,000 troops in Ukraine as a peacekeeping force.