Putin aide mocks EU's fear of sending troops to Ukraine, warns against seizing frozen Russian assets

Putin's top aide claimed the European Union has shown little enthusiasm for sending troops to Ukraine, including peacekeeping forces. The Russian Federation Council spokesman also warned the European bloc against using any frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine in the war. Russia warned against utility of any direct military deployment—especially before a ceasefire—while several major countries publicly ruled out sending troops even as others float plans for long-term security “guarantees” for Kyiv.