MOSCOW/KYIV - Russia will respond to any deployment of European military forces in Ukraine as well as to attempts to seize Russian assets in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

Speaking at a government hour session in the Federation Council, Lavrov said Moscow was prepared for retaliatory measures if European countries take what he called "hostile steps".

"As President (Vladimir Putin) emphasized, we are not going to fight with Europe. We have no such thoughts," Lavrov said. "But we will respond to any hostile steps, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the expropriation of Russian assets, and we are already ready for this response."

The foreign minister said that the West is not united on the Ukrainian settlement and accused Europe of delaying the process of reaching a diplomatic resolution in Ukraine.

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European discussions on possible security commitments to Ukraine and debates over the use of frozen Russian assets have intensified in recent months.

The G7 countries said on Monday that they will continue to develop, in line with their respective legal frameworks, a wide range of financing options to support Ukraine, including the potential use of the full value of immobilized Russian assets.

Zelensky's talks with US team 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he held a "productive discussion" on Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery with the US side.

The video conversation, which involved US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, as well as top Ukrainian officials, marked the first meeting of the group that will work on a document concerning Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery, Zelensky said on X.

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According to him, the participants of the meeting discussed key elements for recovery efforts, various mechanisms, and visions for reconstruction.

In his evening address on Wednesday, Zelensky said that "to ensure reconstruction is of high quality and economic growth is tangible after this war, real security must form the foundation".

Three killed in Kherson

Separately, three people were killed and two others injured in Ukrainian strikes on a district hospital in the Kherson region, local authorities said Wednesday.

All the victims are hospital employees, with one seriously wounded man remaining in intensive care, said Vladimir Saldo, head of the region.

The strikes also caused significant damage to one of the hospital's buildings, Saldo added.