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Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western proposals to deploy an international "reassurance force" to Ukraine, warning that any foreign troops entering the country would be treated as "legitimate targets" by Moscow.
His remarks came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that 26 nations had pledged postwar security guarantees for Kyiv, including plans for land, sea, and air deployments to stabilize Ukraine once fighting ends. Macron insisted the mission would be defensive, aimed at preventing "any new major aggression," but gave no details on troop numbers or timelines.
Putin, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, rejected the idea outright. "If some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction," he said. Even after a potential peace deal, he claimed, foreign deployments would serve "no purpose whatsoever."
The Kremlin maintains it seeks security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia but accuses NATO members of inflaming the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly insisted that Kyiv's Western backers want to prolong the war to weaken Russia strategically.
Ukraine, meanwhile, argues that strong security commitments are essential before agreeing to any ceasefire. President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the Paris summit's outcome as a "first concrete step," though he dismissed Moscow's offer to host peace talks in Russia as unserious.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out sending American ground troops but hinted at possible air support. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stressed that Russia had "no veto" over allied security decisions, calling Ukraine a sovereign nation free to choose its defenders.
With fighting raging across multiple fronts and neither side backing down, prospects for a ceasefire remain dim. Western officials accuse Moscow of stalling negotiations to consolidate territorial gains before any talks resume.
