Putin: Any Western forces in Ukraine will be a target for the Russian military
The Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any Western military presence on Ukrainian territory would be considered a legitimate target for the Russian military, reiterating Moscow’s categorical rejection of Ukraine’s accession to NATO.
Putin’s remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries had pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine after the war ends, including the deployment of international ground, naval, and air forces.
Macron emphasized that these forces aren’t intended to fight Russia, but rather to deter any future attack.
Putin, speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, said that Russia would treat any foreign forces in Ukraine as military targets, especially as fighting continues.
He also expressed a conditional willingness to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but indicated that reaching a real agreement seemed impossible due to legal and technical complications, and his doubts about the political will of the Ukrainian side.
In a related development, the Kremlin accused European countries of obstructing peace efforts, stressing that security guarantees cannot come from foreign forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said these plans further complicate the crisis.
For his part, US President Donald Trump discussed with European leaders’ ways to provide security guarantees to Kyiv and discussed the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia if it fails to respond to peace efforts.
The meeting, which brought together approximately 30 countries from the coalition of the willing, was attended in person in Paris and participated via videoconference.
It aimed to outline a potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, amid European calls for Washington to intensify pressure on Russia.
