Russia's Foreign Ministry has reiterated its stance against the presence of Western troops in Ukraine as part of any future peace agreement. This warning comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet with top European leaders in Paris on Thursday.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, stated, "Russia does not intend to discuss unacceptable foreign intervention in Ukraine in any form whatsoever." She criticized Western nations, claiming they view Ukraine as a testing ground for military developments.

Moscow has consistently opposed proposals for deploying Western forces in Ukraine amid ongoing discussions about security guarantees that Kyiv believes are essential for a U.S.-brokered peace deal. Zakharova emphasized that the protections being discussed are not true security guarantees for Ukraine but rather "guarantees of threat to the European continent."

Zelenskyy is set to meet with the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" in Paris, where they will discuss further steps before a scheduled phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump at around 8 a.m. ET. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Zelenskyy to the Élysée Palace on Wednesday, expressing European readiness to offer security guarantees to Ukraine once a peace deal is finalized.

Macron stated, "The contributions that were prepared, documented and confirmed this afternoon at the level of the defense ministers in an extremely confidential manner allow me to say the preparatory work is complete." He added that the discussions would be politically endorsed to ensure a robust and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Zelenskyy expressed optimism about strengthening ties with Europe and the U.S. to increase pressure on Russia for a diplomatic resolution. He noted, "We have not received any signals from Russia that it truly wants to end this war," but remains hopeful about future negotiations.

In a separate development, Trump addressed concerns about his administration's actions regarding Russia during a press conference. He defended his approach, stating, "How do you know there's no action?" He referred to the imposition of tariffs on Indian goods in response to India's purchases of Russian energy and military equipment.

Trump also mentioned his previous meeting with Putin in Alaska and suggested that a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy could be a next step in negotiations. However, the Kremlin has not shown willingness to support such a meeting, and Kyiv has dismissed a recent proposal from Putin for a meeting in Moscow.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sybiha criticized Putin's proposal, stating, "Putin continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals."

As discussions continue, Trump indicated he would be speaking with Putin soon, stating, "We've taken very strong action, as you know, and in other ways we've taken very strong action." He added that he would know more about the situation after his upcoming conversations.