Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he would target Western troops if they are deployed in Ukraine as part of a security guarantee.
He made the statement a day after European leaders announced plans to provide Ukraine with post-war security assurances. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that 26 countries had pledged to give Ukraine security guarantees, which would include ground, naval, and air forces.
Putin cautioned that if Western troops were stationed in Ukraine to provide such guarantees, they would become “legitimate targets” for Russian forces. He reiterated his longstanding claim that Russia invaded Ukraine to prevent NATO from making it a member and placing troops there.
“Therefore, especially during the ongoing military campaign, if any troops appear there, we will consider them legitimate targets to be destroyed,” Putin said at an event in Russia. “And if long-term peace agreements are reached, then I see no reason for their presence on Ukrainian soil.” His remarks signal that any peace deal to end the war remains far out of reach.
Ukraine has insisted that security guarantees to prevent further Russian attacks must be part of any peace settlement. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has recently indicated his readiness to support such assurances. According to European officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, Trump told European leaders he was prepared to provide U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine.
During talks with Putin in Alaska last month, Trump informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders about his discussions. Putin reportedly demanded that any peace deal include recognition of Crimea, the Donbas, and other occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian land, as well as areas not yet under Russian control. Zelensky has rejected these demands as unacceptable.
The U.K. and France have already expressed willingness to station around 30,000 troops in Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression. Trump, who had previously been reluctant, told Zelensky and European leaders after his meeting with Putin that the U.S. could provide technical and logistical support for European troops deployed in Ukraine.
Following this, European countries met on Thursday to finalize their commitments to Ukraine’s security. The next day, Putin issued his warning that Western troops deployed in Ukraine would be attacked.
