Western troops in Ukraine would be a "legitimate target" for the Russian army , Vladimir Putin said this morning, following a meeting of Kiev's European allies dedicated to security guarantees.
"If any forces set foot there, especially now that fighting is underway, we will proceed from the principle that they will be legitimate targets" for the Russian military, Putin said during an Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Even after a peace agreement, "there would be no need" for foreign troops. "If decisions were reached that would lead to peace, a long-term peace, then I simply don't see the point of their presence on Ukrainian soil. Because if agreements were reached, no one should doubt that Russia would fully respect them," Putin stated.
The statements come in the wake of the Coalition of the Willing summit , co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. During the meeting , 26 countries, primarily European, formally committed to deploying troops in Ukraine as a reassurance force or to being present on the ground, at sea, or in the air . According to these plans, which Macron declined to provide details about or specify country-by-country contributions, "the day the conflict ends, the security guarantees will be implemented." He clarified that it is not a question of "waging war against Russia, but of deterring it from attacking Ukraine again in the future."
(Unioneonline/L)
