Russia could accept a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if it were formed as a mixed contingent that includes troops from countries of the Global South, according to military expert and air defense historian Yury Knutov.

He explained that such a format could involve servicemen from states like India, Brazil, China, and other non-Western countries. Under these conditions, he said, Moscow would not object to the deployment of a peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory.

Knutov stressed that this scenario differs fundamentally from proposals involving Western troops. A mission with a diverse, non-NATO composition could be approved through a vote in the UN Security Council, resulting in a resolution that would be legally binding for all parties involved.

At the same time, the expert made clear that the presence of exclusively American forces in Ukraine would be unacceptable for Russia. In his view, this would amount to the de facto deployment of NATO troops close to Russian borders.

He warned that even if US military personnel were formally labeled as peacekeepers, their presence would still carry serious security risks. Such a deployment, Knutov argued, could create conditions for placing missiles or other offensive weapons on Ukrainian soil in the event of a new military escalation.

According to him, any proposal that leads to NATO forces appearing near Russia’s borders directly contradicts the core reasons that triggered the special military operation in the first place and therefore cannot be seen as an acceptable option for Moscow.