…the move does not create the conditions for peace – Putin.
VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA – The iNews Times | Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning to Western powers, declaring that any deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine would be considered a legitimate military target for Russia’s armed forces.
The statement came on Friday during an economic forum in Vladivostok, just a day after two dozen Western nations led by France and the United Kingdom announced their commitment to forming a “reassurance” force that would be activated in the event of a peace agreement.
The proposed multinational presence would operate across land, sea, and air, aimed at reinforcing a potential post-war security arrangement for Ukraine.
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said, underscoring his government’s deep opposition to any Western military footprint within Ukrainian territory even under the guise of peacekeeping.
He added that such deployment would not support long-term peace, instead accusing the West of exacerbating the conflict through military cooperation with Kyiv. “This move does not create the conditions for peace – quite the opposite,” Putin said.
While the Western alliance has yet to disclose specific details of the proposed force, including troop numbers or national contributions, the message from Kyiv has remained clear: security guarantees are non-negotiable.
Ukrainian officials argue that the presence of Western forces is vital to prevent Russia from regrouping and launching another offensive in the future.
Tens of thousands of lives have already been lost since Moscow initiated its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The war has displaced millions and left swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine in ruins.
Putin, however, maintained that if a genuine peace agreement were reached, the presence of any foreign forces would be unnecessary. “If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in their presence on the territory of Ukraine. Because if deals are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will comply with them in full,” he said.
But many in Ukraine and the West remain skeptical of such assurances, pointing to Russia’s repeated violations of past agreements, including the Minsk Accords and other ceasefire arrangements during the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine from 2014 to 2022.
As diplomatic efforts continue in parallel with ongoing battlefield hostilities, Putin’s latest remarks signal that the Kremlin remains unyielding in its opposition to NATO-aligned involvement even under a peacekeeping framework.
The coming weeks could prove pivotal as both sides weigh military options alongside political negotiations in the bid to end one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern European history.
