The Ukrainian President defies Russian threats and confirms talks with his European partners to deploy thousands of foreign troops in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv is in talks with its European partners regarding the deployment of thousands of foreign troops in his country.
This came during a press conference on Friday with European Council President Antonio Costa in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.
In response to a journalist’s question about the reported deployment of 10,000 foreign troops to Ukraine, Zelensky said, “I’ll not mention the number of soldiers, but it won’t be in units, but in thousands”.
He stressed the importance of providing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, noting that 26 of the 35 countries within the coalition of the willing are prepared to provide such guarantees.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any foreign military forces deployed on Ukrainian territory during the current conflict would be a legitimate target for the Russian military.
Putin stressed that Russia doesn’t oppose Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and considers it a legitimate option, but opposes its accession to NATO for security reasons.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a press conference with Zelensky in Paris that 26 countries in the coalition of the willing had pledged to deploy guarantor forces in Ukraine or to be present on land, at sea, or in the air”.
He explained that the goal isn’t to wage war against Russia, but rather to protect peace.
