Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 nations had offered to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sept. 5 that if foreign troops were deployed to Ukraine ahead of a final peace agreement, they would be considered “legitimate targets” to be attacked.
“If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets for destruction,” Putin said during a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, eastern Russia.
“And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop.”
Putin’s comments come a day after European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace in Paris, and French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries had offered to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
The meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” included the leaders of France, the UK, Germany, and several NATO member countries in Europe. Some attended in person, while other participants joined by video link.
U.S. envoy for peace talks Steve Witkoff also met the European leaders, then held a closed-door meeting with Zelenskyy.
‘Reassurance Force’
Macron said what he called a “reassurance force” would only be sent to Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Standing next to Zelenskyy at a press conference after the meeting, Macron said the force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia,” but will aim “to prevent any new major aggression and to involve the 26 states very clearly in the lasting security of Ukraine.”
Macron said the international force would include land, air, and naval forces.
Russia has been adamant that Kyiv should never join NATO and is hostile to the idea of forces from members of the alliance putting boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in a Sept. 5 post on X that it was important to move faster on security guarantees for Ukraine and “to be as productive as possible together with America, to strengthen our air defense.”
I had a very substantive conversation with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte. It is important to move faster on security guarantees for Ukraine, to be as productive as possible together with America, to strengthen our air defense.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 5, 2025
We continue coordination for the sake of real diplomacy.…
