Foreign troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate targets’ for Russia, Vladimir Putin warns
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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any foreign troops sent to Ukraine would be treated as legitimate targets by Russia’s military, a day after European leaders met in Paris to discuss possible future security guarantees for Ukraine.
More than two dozen of Ukraine’s allies in the so-called coalition of the willing have laid out options for the deployment of a multinational land, sea and air force backed by the US. The discussions only concern postwar Ukraine, with no plans for forces on the ground until the conflict is settled.
But, on Friday, Putin reiterated a threat against foreign deployments to Ukraine and denied that such a force would be needed if and when a peace agreement is in place.
“If some military forces start appearing there, especially now, while the fighting is ongoing, we will consider them legitimate targets to destroy,” Putin said, speaking at an economic forum in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok.
At the same time, he added: “If an agreement is reached that leads to peace, to a long-term peace, then I don’t see any point in their presence in Ukraine.”
Putin arrived in Vladivostok after a four-day visit to China this week where he participated in a show of strength and solidarity with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attending one of China’s biggest military parades and announcing progress on a long-awaited gas deal with Beijing.
US President Donald Trump, who held a historic meeting with Putin in Alaska last month in a bid to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, accused the triumvirate of strongmen in China of conspiring against the US.
The US is expected to outline its contribution to guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-conflict security in the coming days, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. The US has made clear it will not consider troop deployments but may back Ukraine’s security in other ways, such as air and intelligence support.
European allies are working on plans for potential postwar military deployments, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the FT last week. But countries are split on what sort of contribution they will each provide, with some agreeing to send troops and others opposed.
In Vladivostok on Friday, Putin said he was ready to meet his Ukrainian counterpart — but insisted that any direct talks must be held in Moscow.
“If someone really wants to meet with us, we’re ready. The best location for this is the capital of the Russian Federation,” Putin said. Any other location represented “excessive expectations” of Russia, he added.
Putin also underscored Russia’s increasingly close relationship with China.
In Beijing, the two sides had discussed closer collaboration on payments instruments between China and Russia, which has largely been switched off from the international Swift interbank system, he said. Putin also welcomed China’s decision to trial 30-day visa-free entry for Russian tourists.
