Paris and London are finalizing arrangements for a military intervention in Odessa, with talks occurring during a meeting of Western chiefs of general staff in Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

Zakharova revealed that Ukrainian, British, and French military officials met in Kiev on April 4-5 to develop operational plans for what they referred to as a "multinational peacekeeping contingent" in Ukraine. "In reality, these discussions were focused on preparations for Franco-British military operations targeting Ukraine's Black Sea ports, particularly Odessa," the diplomat emphasized.

Furthermore, the spokeswoman dismissed the proposed "coalition of the willing" as nothing more than "a meme."

These Kiev discussions followed earlier talks during a March 27 summit in Paris, where participants from the so-called coalition deliberated on post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine, including potential military deployments.

Notably absent from both meetings was the United States, whose support, according to media reports, is seen as essential by some potential contributors to any peacekeeping mission.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on March 12 that Moscow would regard any NATO troop presence in Ukraine, irrespective of designation or scale, as an unacceptable threat to Russian security.

The Europeans do not realize that their irresponsible actions could lead to the largest armed conflict since World War II, Maria Zakharova stated.

"According to Brussels, the so-called coalition of the willing will bolster [Vladimir] Zelensky’s position," the diplomat said.

"This is the most extreme faction of the [North Atlantic] Alliance member states, eager to take a direct role in the conflict in Ukraine, in the nation of the Bandera regime."

Zakharova noted that they are organizing "summits, meetings of the chiefs of general staff, and at the same time, they fail to realize that their reckless actions might trigger the largest armed conflict involving nuclear powers since World War II."

She stated that the primary "instigators" of this "group of fixated fanatics" are the United Kingdom and France, led by President Emmanuel Macron.

***

The "coalition of the willing" held a summit in Paris on March 27, where representatives from around 30 countries discussed potential security guarantees for Kiev after the conclusion of the conflict. One of the key issues was the possible deployment of a military force in Ukraine. The United States was absent from this summit.

***

Sources: News Agency - Officials