NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the so-called "coalition of the willing" will deploy forces across Ukraine - on land, at sea, and in the air - once a peace agreement with Russia is signed, making clear that Western boots, jets, and naval assets would follow any ceasefire.

Rutte said Ukraine needs binding commitments and security guarantees in order to prevent future Russian aggression. This is to include the deployment of European forces and a "crucial" US "backstop". His words are consistent with the Western position - and specifically the European view - on what a final Ukraine peace deal would require.

The Kremlin has as expected consistently rejected this 'option' as a non-starter, given this is why Russia went to war in the first place: to stop a NATO troop outpost right on its border, and constant NATO expansion.

What Moscow will find doubly alarming is that Rutte issued the words directly before Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (the unicameral parliament of Ukraine). Other NATO states, Rutte laid out, would continue to assist through additional channels in a support role to Western boots on the ground.

But Russia has again warned that foreign boots on the ground in Ukraine would warrant a military response, and that they could be targets for future Russian action. All of this contradicts Russia's 'red lines' for what it says is acceptable.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been even more blunt, stating that security guarantees for Ukraine based on "foreign military intervention on some part of Ukrainian territory" would be unacceptable to the level that a post-war "peacekeeping" mission would fast spiraling into the next flashpoint.

According to more of Rutte's words, summarized via The Guardian:

• Rutte also urged for more equal “burden-sharing” as some allies “are doing a lot” and a few are “doing nothing”. He stressed the positive contributions of countries including Norway, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Sweden.

• Rutte said Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, was “crazy” and said its continuing assault on Ukraine is targeting civilian infrastructure, creating “chaos” for innocent civilians.

• Rutte said Ukraine is ready “to play ball” and come to a deal – acceptable to Kyiv – with the Russian side, but added that the massive Russian attack last night was a “really bad signal” ahead of future negotiations.

Yet, Russia will not "play ball" on these terms, and this signals that US-Russia negotiations continue to be stuck, going nowhere substantial, but the reality remains - at least the two sides are being candid and are communicating.

A 'helping-hand' or ensuring Ukraine's long demise...

This represents Europe keeping up its intractable position, also as territorial concessions are a prime point of disagreement. US officials have at times signaled their view that European leaders are more hostile to peace, or even thwarting it, amid Trump's apparent good-faith efforts to bring a resolution to the war which is about to enter its fifth year, after hundreds of thousands have perished. Still, Trump could bring pressure on Kiev - including halting all arms deliveries, and forcing it to make serious land concessions - but there's as yet no evidence he's done this in any meaningful way.