MOSCOW - Russia will demand concrete security guarantees from the United States and NATO as part of any agreement on Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with local media on Sunday.

Ukraine's neutral status and NATO's rejection of Ukraine's membership must be central to these guarantees, said Grushko.

Since 2019, the number of military contingents on NATO's eastern flank has doubled, posing a significant threat to Russia, he said, adding that the ongoing rearmament of European countries adds to Moscow's security concerns.

He said the deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine would only be feasible if both parties to the conflict deem it necessary.

Moscow remains open to separate negotiations with the European Union if Brussels signals a willingness to engage, he added.

Discussions on peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine remain premature and should only take place after a formal peace agreement has been reached, said Grushko in an interview with Russian daily Izvestia on Sunday.

Grushko emphasized that NATO's involvement in peacekeeping operations is fundamentally contradictory.

"NATO and peacekeeping are entirely incompatible. The real history of the alliance consists of military operations and unprovoked aggression to assert its global and regional dominance," he stated.

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He reaffirmed Russia's stance that the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine -- whether under the banner of the EU, NATO, or individual national forces -- would effectively place them in the conflict zone, making them direct participants with all the consequences that entail.

As a possible alternative, he said that an unarmed observer mission or a civilian monitoring group could be considered to oversee certain aspects of a potential peace deal.

"Such mission could ensure compliance with specific provisions and serve as part of a broader guarantee mechanism," he added.