Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday warned that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal.
Two dozen countries, led by France and the UK, pledged Thursday to join a “reassurance” force on land, at sea and in the air to patrol any agreement to end the conflict.
Kyiv said that security guarantees, backed by Western troops, are crucial to any agreement, to ensure Russia does not relaunch its offensive in the future.
Photo: Roscongress Foundation via AP
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said.
The deployment of such a force was not conducive to long-term peace, he said, adding that Ukraine’s closer military ties with the West were one of what he called the “root causes” of the conflict.
Ukraine’s allies have not revealed any specific details of the plan, including how many troops it would involve and how specific countries would contribute.
“We have today 26 countries who have formally committed — some others have not yet taken a position — to deploy as a ‘reassurance force’ troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, as he stood alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelensky hailed the move, saying: “I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step.”
The troops would not be deployed “on the front line,” but aim to “prevent any new major aggression,” Macron said.
Putin yesterday said that if a deal could be struck, there was no need for the troops.
“If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in their presence on the territory of Ukraine. Because if deals are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will comply with them in full,” he said.
Putin earlier this week said his troops were advancing across the entire front line in eastern and southern Ukraine and that he would continue to fight if a peace deal was not reached.
The extent of any US involvement in a possible Western peacekeeping force remains uncertain and there are also divisions within the “coalition of the willing.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for instance, urged more pressure on Monday, but has remained cautious about the scope of involvement.
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