President Vladimir Putin issued a warning on Friday, stating that any Western military personnel sent to Ukraine would be considered a “legitimate” target for Russian forces. This was a bold reply to a coalition’s intention to introduce international peacekeepers following a potential resolution to the ongoing conflict.
On Thursday, a coalition of over 26 nations, spearheaded by France and the UK, declared their readiness to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine to oversee and uphold any future peace agreement. Ukraine has emphasized the necessity of security guarantees supported by foreign troops to deter any renewed Russian offensives.
“If troops are deployed there, especially now during the hostilities, we assume they will be legitimate targets,” Putin articulated during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
He asserted that such a military presence would obstruct, rather than facilitate, sustainable peace. Putin reiterated his belief that Ukraine’s increasing military alliances with Western nations are core reasons behind the conflict, reflecting his list of grievances that led to his decision to launch a full-scale invasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, announced that 26 nations have formally pledged to the initiative, although specifics regarding troop numbers and contributions remain vague. He emphasized that the force’s role would not involve direct combat but would aim to “prevent any further significant aggression.”
Zelensky welcomed this commitment as “the first significant, concrete step” towards ensuring Ukraine’s future after the war.
However, it’s improbable that Russia will support the Western “reassurance force,” which raises doubts about the viability of the plan from the beginning. Moscow has consistently maintained that it will not engage in discussions about security guarantees without its involvement, claiming it must be part of those conversations—a stance that analysts compare to allowing a fox to guard the henhouse.
On Friday, Putin dismissed the idea of Western peacekeepers entirely, asserting that any resolution should be adequate to preserve peace between Russia and Ukraine.
“If agreements are made that foster peace, particularly lasting peace, then I fail to see the necessity for their presence in Ukraine. Because if agreements are reached, I assure you that Russia will adhere to them completely,” he stated.
Ukraine and its Western allies, however, are not persuaded. They reference a lengthy history of Russian transgressions starting with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. According to that post-Soviet agreement, Ukraine relinquished its nuclear arsenal in return for promises from Russia, the United States, and the UK to respect its sovereignty and borders and to refrain from using force against it.
As diplomatic activity has surged in recent months, culminating in a Russia-U.S. summit in Alaska in August, Western leaders have accused Putin of buying time while his troops advance in eastern Ukraine. At a press conference in China earlier this week, he boasted that Russian forces were “making progress in all directions,” although analysts explain that these victories have resulted in significant loss of life.
Perhaps most significantly, Putin indicated that if diplomatic efforts fail, Russia is prepared to continue fighting to fulfill its objectives through military means.
Reporting contributed by AFP.
